^^ 


^  PRINCETON,  N.  J.  *^ 

Presented    byTV<sa\o\eTA-V     X^cTv-V-Vo^^  . 


Division 
Section  ■ 


S  E  11  M  U  N  S 


ON    IMPORTANT 


DOCTEINAL    SUBJECTS, 


CRITICAL  AND  EXPLANATORY  NOTES. 


BY 

REV.    HO  SEA   BALLOU 


BOSTON: 
JAMES     M .     USHER 

37    CORN  HILL. 
1856. 


Entered  according  to  Ac(  ?*  Congress,  in  the  year  1852, 
By  JAMES    M.    USHER, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  District  of 

Massachusetts. 


WrEKBOIXIKn    Ft 

HOBART  A  ROBBINa, 

NEW  ENGLAND   TYPE  AND   STEREOITPE  FOUNDERT, 
BOSTON. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  SECOND  EDITION. 


The  discourses  contained  in  this  volume  were  de- 
livered in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  during  the  two 
last  weeks  in  December,  1821,  and  the  first  week  in 
January,  1822.  Rev.  Hosea  Ballon,  their  author,  had 
been  invited  to  that  city  by  the  Universalist  society 
there  ;  and  during  his  short  stay  the  number  of  his 
hearers  increased  so  that,  at  the  last  service,  it  was 
supposed  there  were  not  far  from  seven  thousand 
people. 

The  sermons  were  taken  down  by  a  stenographer  at 
the  time  of  delivery.  The  author  had  not  the  oppor- 
tunity of  revising  and  correcting  the  sheets  before 
they  went  to  press ;  otherwise  some  of  his  arguments 
might  have  been  more  full,  and  the  language,  in 
many  cases,  different.  The  stenographer,  however, 
flattered  himself  that  he  had  presented  the  discourses 
^Uotidem  verbis ;^^  but  in  this,  doubtless,  he  was  too 
sanguine. 

The  first  edition  of  these  sermons  was  published  by 
Mr.  Edwin  T.  Scott,  in  the  year  1822.  The  style  in 
which  they  were  written  was  exceedingly  bad.  Wo 
have  endeavored  to  improve  them  in  this  respect, 
although  we  have  not  bestowed  upon  them  all  that 
alteration  which,  under  circumstances  of  more  leisure, 
we  should  have  been  glad  to  have  done. 


IV  PREFACE    TO    THE    SECOND    EDITION. 

In  regard  to  the  character  of  the  sermons,  we  have 
a  word  to  say.  They  are  all  on  important  docirinat, 
subjects.  No  Universalist  can  read  them  without 
feeling  a  deep  and  lively  interest  in  the  matter  before 
him.  They  are  distinguished  by  a  patient  reflection, 
originality  of  conception,  closeness  of  reasoning,  and 
pungency  of  application.  The  degrading  and  contra- 
dictory doctrines  of  the  Orthodox  creed  are  exposed, 
and  utterly  refuted.  The  love  of  God,  as  manifested 
in  the  great  plan  of  salvation,  which  is  calculated  to 
produce  in  man  a  moral  conformity  to  the  divine 
nature,  is  set  forth,  particularly  in  the  sermons  enti- 
tled "God's  Mindfulness  of  Man,"  "Characteristics 
of  the  Gospel,"  and  "God's  Uncaused  Love  to  Men." 
We  flatter  ourselves,  and  we  trust  not  without  reason, 
that  the  cu'culation  of  this  volume  will  confirm  and 
strengthen  the  faith  of  Universalists,  bring  many  to 
the  knowledge  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  and  impart 
ioy  and  consolation  to  all. 

The  Notes  will,  we  have  no  doubt,  be  considered  a 
useful  supplement  to  the  work.  A  part  of  them  were 
appended  to  the  first  edition  by  a  gentleman  who 
superintended  its  publication ;  but  they  have  been 
retrenched  in  some  parts,  and  enlarged  in  others. 

We  are  happy  to  close  our  remarks  in  this  place  by 
observing  that,  with  unimpaired  energies,  he  con- 
tinues to  discharge  his  duties  as  pastor  of  the  Second 
Universalist  Society  in  this  city,  besides  other  arduous 
labors  ;  and  that  the  present  state  of  his  health  is 
such  as  to  justify  the  hope  that  his  usefulness  will  be 
continued  yet  for  a  long  time. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  THIRD  EDITION. 


We  need  not  here  recapitulate  the  facts  contained 
in  the  preface  to  the  edition  of  1832.  The  work 
has  been  for  a  long  time  out  of  print,  and  many 
inquiries  have  been  made  for  it.  The  venerable 
author  never  produced  poor  sermons.  There  is  a 
peculiar  originality  in  all  he  wrote.  He  was  no 
copyist ;  he  followed  no  author,  in  the  matter  of  his 
sermons,  except  the  sacred  writers.  He  preached 
much  on  the  character  and  attributes  of  God;  on 
God's  care  of  men  ;  on  the  perfection  of  God's  law ; 
on  the  power  of  Christian  faith ;  on  the  character  of 
Jesus,  as  the  sent  of  God  and  the  Saviour  of  the 
world ;  on  his  divine  mission,  devotion,  knowledge, 
power  and  success ;  on  the  nature  of  pure  religion ; 
on  the  punishment  of  sin ;  on  the  scriptural  doctrine 
of  judgment ;  on  life  and  immortality,  &c.  &c. ;  — 
and  on  all  these  subjects  he  spoke  with  a  clearness 
and  force  of  argument  that  carried  conviction  to  the 
minds  of  all  unprejudiced  believers. 

At  the  moment  of  putting  this  edition  to  the 
press,  the  long,  laborious,  useful,  Christian  life  of  the 
author  of  the  sermons  was  closed.  He  died  on  the 
seventh  of  June,  1852,  after  an  illness  of  only  six 
days. 

THOMAS  WHITTEMOEE. 

Jtob  12,  1852. 

1* 


CONTENTS. 


SERMON    I. 

PAOB 
GOD'S  MINDFULNESS  OF  MAN, 9 

SERMON    II. 
TEUE  FAITH  A  SOURCE  OF  EEST, 26 

SERMON    III. 

PERFECTION  OF  GOD'S  LAW, 42 

SERMON    IV. 

THE  GIFT  OF    A  SAVIOUR, 62 

SERMON    V. 
ON  TEACHING  THE  WAYS  OF   GOD  TO  MAN, 81 

SERMON    VI. 

RELIGION  A  PROGRESSIYE  WORK, 101 

SERMON    VII. 

CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  GOSPEL, 11« 

SERMON    VIII. 
HELL  THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  SIN, 132 


Tm 


CONTENl'S. 


SERMON    IX. 

GOD'S  UNCAUSED  LOYE  TO  MAN, 165 

SERMON    X. 

EBRONEOUS  VIEWS  OF  A  JUDGMENT, 188 

SERMON    XI. 

FEAST  OF  KNOWLEDGE, 188 

NOTES, 

carncAL  and  explanatory, 2M 


SERMON    I. 


What  is  man,  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him  ?  and  the 
SON  OF  jiAN,  that  THOU  visiTEST  HIM  ?  —  Psalm  8  :  4. 

It  is  established,  by  the  question  stated  in  the 
text,  that  God  is  mindful  of  man;  otherwise,  there 
would  be  no  propriety  in  the  question,  "  What  is 
man,  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him  ?  " 

It  is  established,  by  the  question  in  the  text,  that 
God  is  mindful  of  man  on  account  of  what  man  is ; 
otherwise,  it  would  be  improper  to  ask  the  question, 
"  What  is  man,  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him  ?" 

It  is  established,  by  the  text,  that,  on  account  of 
the  mindfulness  of  God  towards  man,  he  visits  him. 
Though  the  question  in  the  text  is  varied,  it  is  but 
one  question  :  "What  is  man,  that  thou  art  mindful 
of  him  ?  and  the  son  of  man,  that  thou  visitest 
him?" 

The  design  of  the  present  discourse  is,  to  answer 
this  question. 


10  god's  mindfulness  of  b-ian. 

God  is  mindful  of  man  on  account  of  what 
man  is. 

In  the  first  place,  man  is  the  creature  of  €rod, 
God  is  his  Author, — his  Maker  j  to  God  we  owe 
our  existence,  and  it  is  an  unreasonable  supposition 
that  a  God  of  infinite  wisdom  would  make  anything 
without  a  design  ;  and,  consistently  with  the  design 
the  Creator  had  in  making  the  thing  that  he  made, 
he  must  be  mindful  of  it. 

This  idea  may  be  communicated  to  your  under- 
standing in  the  simple  simile  of  your  own  under- 
takings. You  never  make  anything  without  some 
purpose  ;  and  when  you  have  made  it,  you  regard  it 
exactly  in  proportion  as  it  answers  the  pui'pose  for 
which  you  made  it;  and  you  will  see,  upon  a 
moment's  reflection,  that  it  is  morally  impossible 
that  any  intellectual  being  should  make  anything 
for  no  purpose.  Hence,  it  is  plain  and  evident 
that  God  made  his  creature  for  a  purpose;  and 
in  relation  to  all  the  dignity  of  that  purpose 
he  must  regard  the  creature  which  he  has  so 
made. 

Thus  we  have  given  you  one  answer  to  our  ques- 
tlofli,  ♦*  What  is  man,  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him  ? 


god's  mindfulness  of  man.  11 

and  the  son  of  man,  that  thou  visitest  him  ?  "     He 
is  the  creature  of  God, 

Secondly,  Man  is  a  moral,  intellectual  being, 
constituted  with  a  capacity  to  improve  in  wisdom, 
in  knowledge,  and  in  understanding.  It  will  not  be 
diflBcult  for  the  hearer  to  perceive  that  this  state- 
ment is  a  proper  answer  to  our  question ;  because 
a  being  which  possesses  the  qualities  which  man 
possesses,  having  an  intellectual  capacity,  capable 
of  learning  and  being  instructed,  must  be  designed 
for  that  purpose ;  for  the  Creator  could  have  no 
reason  why  he  should  give  man  a  capacity  to  learn, 
unless  he  designed  him  for  improvement.  Why 
does  man  possess  a  capacity  for  knowledge,  why 
is  he  made  susceptible  of  instruction,  unless  that  in 
these  capacities  he  is  to  be  improved  ?  When  you 
learn  the  capacity  of  the  thing  made,  and  what  end 
it  is  calculated  to  answer,  you  learn,  at  the  same 
time,  what  it  is  designed  for,  and  what  it  was  in- 
tended for  by  its  maker.  It  is  evident  from  the 
history  of  mankind,  as  well  as  from  our  own  obser- 
vation, that  man  is  possessed  of  these  qualifications. 
He  is  capable  of  being  instructed ;  he  is  capable  of 
being  taught ;  he  is  capable  of  being  improved  in 


12  god's  mindfulness  of  man. 

the  exercise  of  liis  understanding ;  he  is  capable, 
my  friends,  of  being  brought  to  a  knowledge  of  that 
God  who  made  him. 

Hence,  God  is  mindfd  of  man  as  an  intellectual, 
moral  being.  Having  capacitated  him  for  the  recep- 
tion of  instruction,  for  a  growth  in  wisdom,  knowl- 
edge and  understanding,  it  is  reasonable  that  he 
should  regard  his  creature  as  such,  and  improve  him 
to  the  full  extent  of  his  powers.  And  that  this  is 
the  law  of  intellectual  nature,  you  will  easily  per- 
ceive by  yourselves.  As  far  as  it  comes  within  the 
compass  of  your  power,  you  take  delight  and  satis- 
faction in  instructing  those  docile  birds  and  animals 
which  you  find  to  be  capable  of  any  improvement. 
And  you  are  not  disposed  to  discontinue  the  means 
of  such  improvement,  so  long  as  they  may  be  em- 
ployed with  success.  You  may  not  think,  while 
thus  employed,  what  this  inclination  philosophically 
proves ;  but  it  is  evidence  to  show  that  it  is  the 
nature  of  intellect .  to  strive  to  improve  intellectual 
powers. 

The  infinite  Jehovah,  as  a  Being  of  boundless 
wisdom  and  knowledge,  must  take  peculiar  delight 
and  unbounded  satisfaction  in  improving  the  intel- 


god's  mindfulness  of  man.  13 

leotual  beings  that  he  has  made,  in  advancing  them 
from  one  state  of  knowledge  to  another,  from  one 
degree  of  improvement  to  another ;  and,  my  friends, 
we  learn  from  this  another  idea,  valuable  beyond 
estimation,  namely,  it  is  not  reasonable  that  God 
will  ever  stop  the  improvement  of  his  intellectual 
creature,  so  long  as  that  being  is  capable  of  being 
improved.  It  is  manifest,  my  hearers,  that  God 
will  never  cease  to  do  this.  He  will  never  cease 
to  love  us ;  he  will  never  cease  to  advance  us  in 
knowledge.  The  great  theme  of  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  is  designed  for  this  purpose.  In  an  address 
to  the  Father,  recorded  in  the  seventeenth  chapter 
of  the  gospel  of  St.  John,  Jesus  says  to  his  Father, 
"  Glorify  thy  Son,  that  thy  Son  may  also  glorify 
thee  :  as  thou  hast  given  him  power  over  all  jlesh, 
that  he  should  give  eternal  life  to  as  many  as  thou 
hast  given  him.  And  this  is  life  eternal,  that  they 
might  know  thee,  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus 
Christ  whom  thou  hast  sent." 

Hence  the  necessity  of  our  being  improved  in 
knowledge ;  hence  the  propriety  of  the  gospel  dis- 
pensation for  this  purpose ;  hence  the  propriety  of 
the  idea,  my  friends,  that  the  nature  of  our  heavenly 
2 


14  god's  mindfulness  of  man. 

Father  is  to  advance  his  offspring  man  in  the  knowl- 
edge of  himself. 

A  thought  strikes  your  humble  servant,  which 
must  not  be  jDassed  over.  There  has  been  a  doctrine 
long  promulgated,  that  there  is  a  time  coming  when 
God  will  not  allow  the  ignorant  an  opportunity  to 
learn ;  when  he  will  not  allow  his  creatui'es  the 
means  of  education;  when  he  will  not  allow  his 
moral  being  an  opportunity  to  advance  in  knowledge 
and  wisdom.  My  friends,  whether  this  idea  is  in 
the  least  accordant  with  the  nature  of  God,  with  the 
nature  of  his  goodness,  with  the  nature  of  his  wis- 
dom, you  can  judge  as  well  as  I. 

Thirdly.  I  have  another  answer  to  the  question 
under  consideration,  —  "What  is  man,  that  thou  art 
mindfiil  of  him  1  and  the  son  of  man,  that  thou  vis- 
itest  him  ? "  I  have  an  answer  now  to  give  you, 
l^erfectly  sufficient,  if  I  had  named  nothing  else. 
The  aaswers  I  have  given  you  I  believe  you  will 
not  say  are  unreasonable  or  inapplicable.  They  are 
perfectly  reasonable.  Independent  of  them,  how- 
ever, there  is  another  answer,  one  which  is  in  per- 
fect accordance  with  the  others,  and  which,  of  itself, 
is  entirely  sufficient.      What  is  that  ?      It  is  that 


god's  mindfulness  of  man. 


15 


which  we  predicate  of  a  number  of  passages  in 
Scripture,  particularly  the  testimony  of  St.  Paul 
when  at  Athens.  Before  the  court  of  Athens,  he 
gave  a  decisive  answer  to  the  question  now  under 
consideration  ;  he  took  advantage  of  the  light  and 
wisdom  which  God  had  given  the  Grecian  poets,  and 
said,  "  For  in  him  we  live,  and  move,  and  have  our 
being  :  as  certain  also  of  your  own  poets  have  said, 
for  we  are  also  his  offspring." 

My  friends,  is  man  the  offspring  of  God  ]  Is 
man  the  child  of  God  ?  It  is  answer  enough  why 
God  is  mindful  of  man.  For  this  I  can  appeal  to 
your  feelings,  your  senses,  and  your  understanding. 
Where  is  the  parent  who  is  not  mindful  of  his  chil- 
dren ?  And  how  perfectly  natural  it  is  that  the 
parent  should  be  mindful  of  his  offspring  !  There 
is  that  relation  between  the  parent  and  child  which 
constitutes  the  propriety  of  the  mindfulness  of  the 
parent  towards  the  child.  This,  my  hearers,  is 
perfectly  in  unison  with  the  other  answers  I  have 
given  you,  and  adds  largely  to  their  importance. 
Man  being  considered  an  intellectual  being,  capable 
of  mental  improvement,  the  Almighty  must  take  a 
delight  in  advancing  his  knowledge  and  wisdom  as 


16  god's  mindfulness  of  man. 

far  as  it  is  capable  of  being  advanced ;  added  to 
this,  lie  is  considered  as;  the  offspring  and  very  child 
of  God,  which  foiiBs  the  answer  to  the  question 
why  God  is  mindful  of  us. 

I  will  indulge  the  objector,  for  a  moment,  in  his 
opinion.  It  will  strike  him  that  we  ought  not  to 
style  man  the  offspring  of  God  in  his  natural  state  ; 
but  he  must  become  a  regenerated  being,  he  must 
be  changed  from  his  natural  to  a  spiritual  state, 
before  he  can  be  justly  called  the  offspring  of  God. 
If  so,  how  would  St.  Paul  justify  himself?  He  was 
speaking  before  the  court  of  Athens,  and  appealing 
to  the  testimony  of  the  Grecian  poets,  and  said, 
"  For  we  are  also  his  offepring."  It  is  not  supposa- 
ble  that  the  Grecian  poets  had  any  reference  to  the 
regenerated  state  of  man,  but  to  his  natural  state ; 
and  St.  Paul  had  no  other  meaning,  in  giving  this 
answer ;  because,  if  he  had  another  meaning,  he 
ought  not  to  have  uised  their  language.  The  same 
answer  to  the  question  under  consideration  is  given 
by  Jeremiah  :  "  Turn,  0  backsliding  children,  saith 
the  Lord,  for  I  am  married  unto  you."  This  is  the 
language  of  a  father.  "  Turn,  0  backsliding  chil- 
dren."    They  are  called  "  children  "  by  God,  who 


god's  mindfulness  of  man.  17 

commands  tliem  to  turn  to  him.  Here  are  two 
relations,  the  most  important  in  all  society,  of  which 
he  predicates  his  argument  and  expostulation.  He 
calls  them,  in  the  first  place,  "his  children."  How 
reasonable,  therefore,  is  it  that  they  should  return  ! 
He  then  brings  up  the  relation  of  marriage  :  "  for  I 
am  married  unto  you."  He  does  not  say,  "  I  loill 
he  married  unto  you,"  but  claims  absolutely  this 
sacred  relation  as  the  foundation  of  a  command  that 
they  should  return. 

My  hearers,  does  not  our  blessed  Saviour,  the 
great  Teacher  sent  from  God,  establish  this  doctrine 
likewise  ?  Hoes  he  not  direct  us^  when  we  pray,  to 
call  God  "  our  Father,  who  art  in  heaven"  ?  Whose 
duty  is  it  to  pray  ?  It  is  the  duty  of  all.  Is  it  not 
a  correct  practice  to  teach  this  prayer  to  our  little 
children  ?  Would  you  teach  them  to  pray  to  their 
Father  who  is  in  heaven,  if  they  have  no  Father 
there  ?  Would  you  teach  them  to  address  God  as 
their  Father,  and  then  systematically  teach  them 
that  God  is  not  their  Father  ?  He  is  the  Father 
of  all  the  moral  creation.  He  is  the  Father  of 
every  individual  of  the  human  family.  He  is 
declared  to  be  the  Father  of  our  spirits.  If  so^ 
2* 


18  god's  mindfulness  or  man. 

then  we  are  his  offspring,  emphatically ;  and,  being 
the  offspring  of  God,  he  is  mindful  of  us,  and  he  has 
visited  us. 

Having  answered  the  question  stated  in  the  text, 
I  shall  pursue  the  subject  by  noticing  the  visits  God 
has  made  the  children  of  men. 

Keep  the  idea  constantly  in  your  minds,  that 
whatever  notice  God  has  taken  of  man,  whatever 
visits  he  has  made  us,  are  on  account  of  what  man 
is,  on  account  of  his  care  of  man,  on  account  of  his 
love  to  his  ofispring.  Contemplate,  then,  for  a 
moment,  the  innumerable  blessings  of  the  providence 
of  God!  Reflect,  my  friendly  hearers,  on  the 
favors  you  have  received  at  his  hand,  as  you  have 
passed  through  the  several  stages  of  life !  Contem- 
plate the  fatherly  kindness  he  showed  towards  you 
before  you  knew  that  there  was  such  a  Being ! 
Contemplate  the  tender  providence  of  the  Almighty 
when  you  knew  not  that  time  passed  away,  —  when 
you  knew  not  your  own  dependence,  —  when  you 
knew  not  what  was  necessary  for  your  own  life ! 
In  that  condition,  —  in  that  tender,  feeble  condition, 
—  how  were  you  surrounded  by  the  tender  mercies 


god's  mindfulness  of  man.  19 

of  God  !  and  know,  this  was  all  on  account  of  the 
mindfulness  of  God  towards  you. 

As  you  advanced  in  days  and  years,  you  advanced 
in  wisdom  and  knowledge,  until  you  came  to  know 
the  Supreme  Creator  and  Ruler  of  all  things.  The 
sentiment  which  teaches  that  it  is  necessary  for  man 
to  know  God,  in  order  that  God  may  be  good  to 
him,  is  not  correct.  If  it  were  correct,  then  the 
parent  should  not  take  care  of  the  child  until  the 
child  has  a  knowledge  of  the  parent.  If  this  doc- 
trine were  reduced  to  practice,  no  child  would  ever 
come  to  the  knowledge  of  its  parent.  It  is  a  long 
time  that  the  child  is  nurtured  by  the  parent  before 
it  comes  to  the  knowledge  of  that  parent ;  and  in- 
numerable blessings  do  we  receive  from  God  before 
we  know  there  is  a  God,  much  less  know  his  moral 
qualities.  But,  all  the  time,  he  is  taking  care  of 
us,  providing  for  our  welfare,  and  acting  upon  the 
principles  which  are  requisite  to  our  well-being. 

We  may  now  take  into  consideration  the  visit 
which  God  has  made  man  in  the  gospel  of  his  dear 
Son,  and  contemplate  this  precious  gift  of  God  to  the 
world.  Hear  the  language.  "  God  so  loved  the 
world  that  he  gave  his  only-begotten  Son;    that 


20  god's  mindfulness  of  man. 

whosoever  belleveth  on  him  miglit  not  perish,  but 
have  everlasting  life.  For  God  sent  not  his  Son 
into  the  world  to  condemn  the  world,  but  that  the 
world  through  him  might  be  saved." 

Thus,  you  see,  the  gift  of  Jesus  was  on  account 
of  God's  love  to  the  world,  —  a  love  which  existed 
before  this  gift  was  bestowed.  This  was  not  a  gift 
made  to  induce  our  Father  to  love  us.  Such  a  con- 
clusion would  be  a  very  strange  perversion.  A 
father  does  not  make  a  present  to  a  child  to  make 
him  love  the  child,  but  because  he  does  love  the  child. 
The  love  is  antecedent,  and  the  gift  is  designed  to 
favor  the  object  of  affection,  and  to  let  this  object  of 
affection  know  the  love  which  exists  in  the  parent's 
bosom. 

This  is  the  great  theme  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus ; 
and  the  gospel  indeed  goes  further,  and  says,  "God 
commendeth  his  love  towards  us,  in  that  while  we 
were  enemies  Christ  died  for  us."  Thus  every 
gospel  promise,  every  gospel  privilege,  every  gospel 
favor,  is  the  production  of  the  mindfulness  of  God 
concerning  his  offspring.  All  that  our  Saviour  did 
was  a  visit  of  God  to  us.  It  was  the  visit  of  our 
heavenly  Father ;  it  was  the  visit  of  our  heavenly 


god's  mindfulness  of  man.  21 

Father's  mercy  to  his  offspring  here  below.  Every 
dispensation  of  grace  which  is  manifested  to  his 
children  is  a  manifestation  of  God's  mindfulness  of 
his  ofispring ;  and,  my  hearers,  the  grand  result  of 
the  gospel  dispensation  shows  what  God  has  designed 
for  his  children ;  and  what  he  has  designed  for  his 
children  is  just  what  a  parent,  in  the  winding  up 
of  his  earthly  affairs,  designs  for  his  offspring.  He 
gives  him  an  estate  ;  he  puts  his  property  into  his 
hands,  —  so  testifies  the  Spirit.  "  The  Spirit  itself 
beareth  witness  with  our  spirit  that  we  are  the  chil- 
dren of  God ;  and,  if  children,  then  heirs,  heirs  of 
God  and  joint  heirs  with  Christ."  Thus  "  God  hath 
given  us  eternal  life ;  and  this  life  is  in  his  Son." 
Why  did  God  give  us  eternal  life  ?  Because  he  is 
himself  eternal  life,  and  a  father  can  never  give  less 
than  himself.  God  has  given  us  himself.  All  that 
he  is  he  has  given  to  the  children  of  men.  We  are 
the  heirs  of  God,  and  joint  heirs  with  Jesus  Christ. 
In  the  result  of  our  reasoning  we  have  this 
pleasing  reflection,  this  sublime,  this  instructive 
lesson,  namely,  the  wisdom  which  constituted  the 
vast  frame  of  the  universe,  and  organized  all 
Tiature,  —  the   power   tliat    raised    this    glorious 


22  god's  mindfulness  of  man. 

superstructure  upon  its  basis,  —  has  ever  heen  di- 
rected^ and  ever  will  he  directed,  towards  the  good 
and  benefit  of  mankind.  And  that  there  can  be 
no  such  thing  as  partiality,  or  anything  like  cruelty, 
in  all  the  system  of  God,  as  the  moral  governor  of 
the  world,  is  as  plain  a  proposition  as  can  possibly 
be  stated.  There  is  not,  in  the  bosom  of  the  rational 
father,  any  principle  but  goodness  to  his  children. 
There  is  not,  in  the  bosom  of  our  heavenly  Father, 
nor  can  there  be,  anything  like  cruelty  or  partiality ; 
but  his  eternal  wisdom  is  ever  working  for  the  ben- 
efit of  his  creatures.  Thus  is  the  question  answered, 
"  What  is  man,  that  thou  art  mindfid  of  him  ? 
and  the  son  of  man,  that  thou  visitest  him  ?  " 

Consider,  then,  my  hearers,  that  we  are  all  the 
work  of  God's  hand;  we  are  intellectual  beings, 
capable  of  being  improved ;  we  are  the  offspring  of 
God.  He  visits  us  on  account  of  what  we  are ;  and, 
from  this  doctrine,  the  result  is  natural.  We  feel 
our  dependence,  and,  to  the  utmost  of  our  moral 
abilities,  we  ought,  therefore,  to  endeavor  to  improve 
ourselves,  as  far  as  it  is  possible ;  remembering  that 
it  is  as  much  our  duty  to  honor  God  as  it  is  the 
duty  of  the  child  to  honor  the  parent.     It  is  the 


god's  mindfulness  of  man.  23 

duty  of  man  to  honor  his  parent  God,  and  to  obey 
his  commandments,  and  that  from  the  purest  prin- 
ciple of  love ;  and  to  walk  in  obedience  to  his  will, 
that  we  may  act  like  rational  creatures.  Keep  this 
sentiment  always  in  your  minds ;  let  it  ever  direct 
your  hearts.  Love  God  constantly,  and  abundant 
will  be  your  peace,  abundant  your  joy,  abundant 
your  satisfaction  and  delight.  And,  instead  of 
tending,  as  our  opposers  sometimes  assert,  to  licen- 
tiousness, to  a  corruption  of  morals,  and  an  indulg- 
ence of  unbridled  passions,  it  will  always  tend  to 
lead  us  to  conduct  ourselves  with  the  utmost  pro- 
priety in  relation  to  our  heavenly  Father,  in  relation 
to  all  mankind  as  brethren,  and  in  relation  to  our- 
selves. As  it  is  of  the  highest  importance  that  the 
child  should  know  the  dignity  and  character  of  his 
parent,  in  order  that  he  may  act  according  to  that 
dignity,  so  it  is  important  that  we  should  know  God, 
in  order  that  we  may  not  degrade  ourselves  by  a  low 
estimation  of  our  moral  nature,  but  contemplate 
that  God  has  made  us  rational  beings. 

0,  what  a  delightful  thought  it  is,  when  your 
humble  servant,  travelling  as  he  now  is,  beholds  the 
face  of  an  audience  he  never  before  saw,  to  look 


2i  god's   mindfulness   of   MAI7. 

on  them,  and  reflect  that  they  are  all  the  children 
of  one  Father,  aU  the  children  of  God,  and  joint 
heirs  with  Jesus  Christ !  Most  delightful,  most 
moralizing,  most  humanizing  thought !  And  how 
perfectly  calculated  to  make  us,  one  and  all,  improve 
in  the  understanding  of  divine  things,  to  the  honor 
of  our  Father,  God,  and  to  the  comfort  of  oui'selves! 


SEEMON    II. 


For  we  which  have  believed  do  enter  into  rest, — 
Hebrews  4  :  3. 

If  we  take  the  word  rest  in  its  proper  latitude,  it 
will  comprekerid  all  the  comforts  and  consolations  of 
the  gospel  of  Christ.  And,  with  this  exposition  of 
that  word,  we  shall  say  that  our  text  proves  that 
the  Christian  faith  embraces  nothing  but  what  is 
consistent  with  man's  happiness.  This  you  will 
perceive,  on  the  reading  of  the  text :  "  For  we  which 
have  believed  do  enter  into  restj'^  Thus  faith  in  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  introduces  the  believer  to  the 
enjoyment  of  rest,  peace,  delight,  and  consolation. 
If  this,  then,  be  the  fact,  you  will  perceive  my  first 
proposition  is  proved  most  clearly  by  the  text, 
namely,  the  gospel  faith  embraces  nothing  incon- 
sistent with  the  happiness  of  the  believer. 

Secondly,  Our  text  suggests  this  important  fact, 
that  the  blessings  of  faith  are  the  consequences  of 
3 


26  TRUE   FAITU   A   SOUKCE   OF   REST. 

believing,  and  are  enjoyed  in  the  same  time  in  which 
the  believer  is  exercising  faith  in  the  gospel.  Ob- 
serve the  tense,  my  hearers,  in  which  the  verb  is 
found  :  "  We  which  have  believed  do  enter  rest ;" 
that  is,  in  the  present  time.  This  is  in  support  of 
the  fact  suggested  before,  that  the  blessings  which 
we  receive  in  consequence  of  believing  the  truth 
are  received  and  enjoyed  in  the  present  time,  while 
we  are  believers. 

The  first  position  may  now  pass  under  examina- 
tion. The  Christian  faith  embraces  nothing  thai 
is  i?iconsiste7it  with  the  happiness^  the  rest,  and  the 
enjoyment,  of  the  believer.  The  Christian  beheves 
in  God.  He  is  a  believer  in  God,  his  Maker ;  but 
he  does  not  believe  that  God  possesses  any  attribute 
which  is  hostile  to  his  happiness.  If  this  thought 
should  enter  his  heart,  —  if  he  should  believe  that 
God  possesses  an  attribute  that  is  hostile  to  the  best 
good  and  happiness  of  his  creatures,  —  could  he  enjoy 
rest,  comfort  or  consolation,  in  that  belief?  No. 
My  friends,  when  you  combine  the  attributes  of 
Jehovah,  and  contemplate  that  he  is  a  being  unlim- 
ited in  knowledge,  and  unquestionably  possessed  of 
supreme  power  over  his  creatures,  and  then  believe 


TRUE   FAITH   A    SOURCE   OF   REST.  27 

that  he  possesses  any  disposition  inimical  to  the 
happiness  and  peace  of  the  works  of  his  hand, 
every  feeling  soul  is  harrowed  up  to  all  the  exer- 
cise of  horror ;  and  if  there  be  a  desire  in  the 
heart,  it  is  to  be  delivered  from  such  a  God.  But 
the  whole  character  of  the  Divine  Being  is  eluci- 
dated to  the  understanding  through  the  glorious 
mediation  of  Jesus  Christ,  "  who  is  the  brightness 
of  the  Father's  glory,  and  the  express  image  of  his 
person."  To  God  we  can  look  and  say,  "  There  is 
my  father,  my  unchangeable  friend,  the  origin  of 
my  being,  who  is  all  love,  all  mercy,  all  compassion." 
If  any  perturbation  possessed  the  soul,  if  any 
fearful  apprehension  was  entertained,  it  is  now  van- 
ished and  gone ;  "for  he  that  believeth  entereth  into 
rest." 

Can  we  indulge  (without  being  thought  invidious) 
in  some  observations  with  regard  to  certain  errors 
that  have  been  introduced  into  the  Christian 
church  ?  It  shall  be  by  way  of  querying  whether 
such  sentiments  can  be  believed,  and,  when  believed, 
have  the  effect  of  introducing  the  believer  to  the 
enjoyment  of  rest.  My  friends,  it  has  been  taught 
in  the  Christian  church  that  the  Creator,  from  all 


28  TRUE   FAITH   A    SOURCE   OF    REST. 

eternity,  proposed,  in  his  irrevocable  decrees,  that 
but  part  of  the  hitman  family  should  be  everlast- 
ingly blest  in  the  enjoyment  of  peace ;  and,  in  con- 
sequence, it  has  been  believed  that  millions  of 
rational  men  were  decreed,  from  unborn  ages  of 
eternity,  to  suffer  inconceivable,  indescribable  mis- 
ery, as  long  as  the  throne  of  God  shall  exist !  I 
will  by  no  means  wound  the  feelings  of  my  hearers 
by  exposing  such  a  sentiment  with  regard  to  its 
parts  and  ligaments ;  but  I  would  humbly  call  on 
you  to  decide  this  question,  which  is,  by  no  means, 
a  difficult  one,  —  If  you  believe  such  a  sentiment  as 
this,  does  it  give  you  rest?  Does  it  introduce 
peace  and  enjoyment  to  the  soul  ?  My  friends,  I 
will  allow  you  to  believe  that  you  are  among  the 
elected,  —  and  you  will  find  that  every  one  who  be- 
lieves in  this  sentiment  believes  that  he  is  elected, — 
allow  this  to  be  your  condition,  yet  does  it  give  you 
rest  ?  "  Wliy  not  ?  "  says  the  hearer.  "  If  I  be- 
lieve that  I  am  elected,  why  should  I  not  have  peace 
and  rest  ? "  0  !  dear  man !  dear  woman  !  have  you 
no  connections  in  the  world  ?  Are  you  insulated 
from  human  nature  ?  Do  you  thus  stand  alone  ?  I 
ask  you  to  look  at  the  companion  of  your  bosom, 


TRUE   FAITH   A   SOURCE   OF    REST.  29 

look  on  the  child  of  your  love,  and  say  if  you  can 
believe  in  this  doctrine,  and  believe  it  probable  that 
these  connections  were  originally  doomed  by  the 
decree  of  Heaven  to  everlasting  wretchedness,  and 
derive  consolation  from  that  belief?  My  friends, 
we  will  do  what  it  is  perfectly  right  to  do  in  this 
case,  and  what  the  circumstances  of  the  case  compel 
us  to  do.  We  will  appeal  to  the  consciences  of 
those  who  not  only  believe  this  creed,  but  propagate 
it  in  the  world.  Ask  them  if  their  faith  gives  them 
rest?  They  do  not  pretend  it.  The  more  they 
rely  on  that  faith,  they  say  themselves,  the  more 
anxious  they  are,  and  the  more  concerned  they  are, 
for  the  welfare  of  their  immortal  souls.  Yery  well ; 
this  is  an  honest  confession,  and  exactly  what  we 
should  expect  from  a  good  man.  Do  you  see  them 
in  agony  ?  Yes.  Do  you  sometimes  see  them  in 
tears  ?  Yes.  Do  you  sometimes  see  them  look- 
ing gloomy  ?  Yes.  Do  you  hear  them  groan 
with  grief?  Yes.  They  believe;  yes,  they  are 
real  believers.  Of  what  ?  Why,  of  that  which 
administers  to  them  this  torment.  They  believe 
what  no  man  can  believe  will  be  realized,  without 
being  tormented.  Do  they  not  tell  us,  from  the 
3=^ 


30  TRUE   FAITH   A    SOIJIlCE    OF   REST. 

pulpit,  how  anxious  they  feel  by  day,  and  how  tor- 
mented they  are  by  night  ?  This  is  the  true  testi- 
mony ;  and  we  read  in  the  Scriptures  that  "  they 
have  no  rest  day  nor  night,  who  worship  the  beast 
and  his  image."  Whoever  worships  a  Deity  or 
a  God  that  is  not  as  they  wish  him  to  be  never 
can  have  any  comfort  or  consolation  in  worshipping 
him.  The  last-recited  passage  of  Scripture  actually 
belongs  to  this  subject.  It  is  only  necessary  to 
remark  that  the  reading  of  the  text  justifies  this  en- 
tirely. "  They  HAVE  no  rest,"  in  the  present  tense. 
"  They  have  no  rest  day  nor  night,  who  worship 
the  beast  and  his  image."  What  worship  is  that  ? 
Worship  of  a  deity  full  of  wrath,  full  of  vengeance, 
full  of  displeasure  against  his  creatures.  These  are 
the  characteristics  of  a  beast  of  prey.  And  when  a 
deity  is  possessed  of  these  qualities,  and  man  falls 
down  before  him,  it  is  on  account  of  the  agonies  of 
soul  and  torments  of  mind  that  he  endures.  Some, 
indeed,  are  honest  enough  to  tell  you  that,  if  they 
did  not  believe  God  were  such  a  being,  they  would 
not  worship  him  at  all ;  and  they  wonder  men  do 
worship  him  who  do  not  believe  him  to  possess  such 
a  character.     You  will  see,  therefore,  my  friends, 


TRUE   PAITII   A    SOURCE   OF   REST.  81 

the  necessity  of  possessing  a  faith  embracing  prop- 
erties consoling  to  the  human  heart. 

Examine,  however,  a  different  creed.  We  will 
say,  as  some  do,  "  Our  God  is  not  the  partial  being 
he  is  represented  to  be,  who,  from  all  eternity,  made 
a  division  of  human  creatures,  designing  to  bless 
some  and  curse  others.  But  he  is  a  being  who,  from 
a  benevolent  principle  of  generous  love  for  his  crea- 
tures, has  made  them  all  capable  of  inheriting 
eternal  salvation,  but  has  rested  it  on  the  condition 
of  their  obedience."  My  brethren,  allow,  if  you 
please,  that  this  is  true.  Does  this  give  you  rest,  to 
believe  that  your  eternal  state  depends  upon  your 
own  works, —  on  the  correctness  of  your  views,  on 
the  orthodoxy  of  your  own  sentiments  and  opinions, 
on  the  conformity  of  your  conduct  to  the  require- 
ments and  commandments  of  God,  while  you  pass 
through  a  temporal  existence?  And  when  you 
contemplate  your  own  imperfections,  and  when  you 
look  over  the  many  indications  of  defect  which  you 
discover  in  your  thoughts  and  actions,  can  you  then 
derive  comfort  and  consolation  in  saying,  "  I  shall 
soon  be  before  my  Maker ;  my  God  will  search  my 
heart;  he  will  judge  me  and  reward  me  according 


32  TRUE    FAITH    A    SOURCE    OF    REST. 

to  my  works ;  and  I  am  perfectly  at  rest,  perfectly 
at  peace,  in  the  belief  that  if  I  have  as  much  happi- 
ness in  the  eternal  world  as  I  merit  by  good  works 
in  this,  I  shall  be  as  happy  as  I  wish ! " 

Is  there  such  a  believer  in  this  congregation? 
Not  one.  Not  one.  Christians  of  this  description 
are  laboring  under  fearful  apprehensions.  Their 
work  is  not  done.  What  are  they  at  work  for  ?  To 
secure  an  eternal  state  of  felicity  in  another  world. 
How  much  must  they  do  ?  This  is  doubtful.  Have 
they  made  any  progress  ?  This  again  is  doubly 
doubtful.  What  a  large  discount  must  there  be 
made  from  the  comforts  and  consolations  of  such 
believers  !  If  we  go  to  them,  and  ask  the  question 
we  asked  in  the  former  case,  we  shall  receive  a 
similar  answer.  Their  behavior  never  can  indicate 
that  they  have  peace.  It  never  can  indicate  that 
they  enjoy  repose.  They  are  perpetually  harassed, 
and  exercised  with  tormenting  fears,  that,  in  the 
balance  weighed  at  last,  they  shall  be  found  wanting. 

It  is  their  firm  belief  that  millions  of  their  fellow- 
creatures  will  be  found  wanting  on  the  day  of  judg- 
ment, of  which  they  speak,  and  will  be  entirely 
banished  from  all  favor,  and  from  all  love  and  kind- 


TRUE  FAITH   A   SOURCE   OF   REST.  33 

ness  of  God.  My  dear  friends,  let  me  ask  you,  can 
you  believe  in  any  doctrine  which  results  eventually 
in  the  division  of  human  nature,  by  which  one  part 
of  our  fellow-creatures  are  sent  to  never-ceasing 
misery,  without  feeling  in  your  own  hearts  those 
fearful  apprehensions  which  sometimes  lead  you  to 
look  on  yourselves  as  exposed  to  never-ending  woe  ? 
Can  you,  then,  look  upon  the  companion  of  your 
bosom,  without  being  exercised  with  awful  appre- 
hensions and  painful  reflections  for  the  object  of 
your  affections  ?  Can  you  look  on  your  children, 
without  being  harassed  by  painful  agony  on  their 
account  ?  Can  you  look  on  the  world  at  large,  and 
believe  with  those  who  have  computed  that  so  many 
millions  go  down  to  regions  of  everlasting  despair 
and  torment  every  year,  and  be  at  rest  ? 

This  sentiment  is  by  no  means  calculated  to  give 
peace.  It  is  by  no  means  calculated  to  administer 
comfort  or  repose  to  your  minds.  But,  if  we  believe 
what  our  blessed  Saviour  taught,  as  the  pure  doc- 
trine of  God,  his  Father,  we  shall  necessarily  rest 
satisfied  that  we  are  the  children  of  God.  We  shall 
believe  God  is  our  Father,  the  unchangeable  friend 
and  Father  of  every  being  he  has  created.     There 


34  TRUE   FAITH   A   SOURCE   OF   REST. 

was  never  anything  necessary  to  be  done  by  man- 
kind, in  order  to  induce  God  to  be  merciful.  There 
was  never  anything  necessary  to  be  done  by  God,  to 
make  God  love  us.  There  was  never  anything 
necessary  to  be  done  by  us,  to  make  God  our  friend, 
and  to  make  God  love  us.  You  will  not  say  the 
speaker  excludes  the  necessity  of  good  works ;  but  he 
predicates  them  of  the  noble  principle  of  love.  Truth 
is  always  simple.  There  is  no  contradiction  in  it. 
There  is  nothing  in  it  difficult  to  be  understood.  If 
you  understand  the  principle  in  one  case,  you  can 
always  understand  it.  Now,  all  I  have  said  on  this 
part  of  the  subject  is  summed  up  in  this  :  It  is 
not  necessary  for  you  to  do  anything  for  your  child 
to  induce  you  to  love  it.  It  is  not  necessary  for 
the  child  to  do  anything  to  constitute  you  a  lover  of 
it.  All  you  do  for  your  child  is  done  because  you 
love  it ;  and  all  the  duty  it  owes  you  is  by  reason  of 
the  love  you  bear  it,  and  the  favors  it  received  from 
you.  This  is  plain  doctrine,  and  not  disputable; 
and  hence  it  is  perfectly  easy  to  perceive  that  God, 
the  author  of  all  our  blessings,  never  required  any- 
thing of  us  to  render  him  kind,  but  our  obedience 
rests  on  the  principle  of  his  goodness  to  us.     God 


TRUE   FAITH   A   SOURCE   OF   REST.  35 

denies  us  nothing  whicli  is  for  oui*  good;  God  re- 
quires nothing  but  for  our  benefit.  He  has  no 
interest  to  serve  but  our  happiness,  and  hence  he  is 
engaged  in  no  other  cause  than  that  in  which  a 
parent  is  engaged,  who  is  endeavoring  to  render  his 
family  as  comfortable  and  as  blest  as  possible.  This 
is  the  true  character  of  God,  as  represented  to  us  by 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 

Read  the  Scripture  :  "  Moreover  the  law  entered, 
that  the  offence  might  abound.  But  where  sin 
aboimded,  grace  did  much  more  abound :  that,  as 
sin  hath  reigned  unto  death,  even  so  might  grace 
reign  through  righteousness  unto  eternal  life,  by 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord."     E.om.  5 :  20,  21. 

Sin  was  never  the  occasion  of  any  enmity  in  God 
towards  mankind.  This  is  easily  perceived.  "  God 
manifested  his  love  to  us  in  that  while  ive  ivere  yet 
sinners  Christ  died  for  us."  Rom.  5  :  8.  Now,  God 
could  not  manifest  love  that  he  did  not  possess. 
He  must  have  loved  us  while  we  were  yet  sinners, 
or  he  would  not  have  sent  us  such  a  blessing  as  is 
Christ.  Again,  Christ  says,  "God  so  loved  the 
world,  that  he  gave  his  only -begotten  Son,"  &c. 
And  so  love  is  the  author  of  every  other  gift.     The 


36  TRUE   FAITH   A   SOURCE   OP   REfe*. 

idea,  then,  that  God  entertains  wrath  towards 
mankind,  is  erroneous,  and  always  has  been  erro- 
neous. "  But "  says  the  objector,  "  according  to 
this  doctrine,  it  certainly  matters  not  what  we  do ; 
for,  if  God  is  to  be  our  friend  while  we  transgress 
his  law,  as  well  as  our  friend  while  we  obey  his 
law,  then  it  is  no  matter  whether  we  obey  or  trans- 
gress." This  is  a  mistake  most  injurious  to  com- 
munity. Must  we  believe  that,  because  God  has 
no  enmity  towards  us,  it  is  no  matter  whether  we 
obey  him  or  not  ?  This  is  most  injurious  to  society ; 
and  I  will  apply  this  doctrine  to  your  family 
government.  "When  a  child  disobeys  you,  must 
you  persuade  that  child  that,  on  account  of  its  dis- 
obedience, you  are  its  enemy,  or  say  to  the  child 
it  is  no  matter  what  it  does  ?  You  know  you  love 
the  child,  though  it  disobeys  you;  but  is  it  no 
matter  what  the  child  does  ?  This  is  not  the  fact. 
It  is  necessary  the  child  should  obey  the  parent 
For  what  ?  Because  your  requirement  of  obedience 
embraces  the  happiness  of  the  child,  and  the  child 
cannot  be  happy  in  disobedience.  Man  can  never 
be  blest  without  obedience ;  but  he  is  blest  in  obe- 
dience, and  in  obedience  alone. 


TEUE  FAITH  A  SOURCE  OF  REST.       37 

The  love  the  father  of  the  prodigal  had  towards 
the  prodigal  was  the  same.  It  was  the  same  when 
the  prodigal  returned  as  it  was  before  he  went 
away.  But  would  you  say,  if  that  father  still  loved 
the  child,  it  was  no  matter  what  the  child  did? 
that  it  was  no  matter  what  disobedience  it  was 
guilty  of  ?  This  is  a  wrong  sentiment,  and  tends  to 
the  injury  of  society.  "  Know  ye  not  that  it  is  the 
goodness  of  God  that  leadeth  you  to  repentance  ?  " 
Rom.  2:4.  Is  it  not  gratitude  to  God  that  forms 
the  basis  of  religion  and  devotion  ?  Shall  we  teach 
man  to  worship  him  from  slavish  fear  ?  Shall  we  not 
rather  say,  as  St.  Paul  does  in  his  argument  to  the 
Romans,  "  I  beseech  you,  therefore,  brethren,  by 
the  mercies  of  God,  that  you  present  your  bodies  a 
living  sacrifice,  holy,  acceptable  unto  God,  which  is 
your  reasonable  service"  ?    Rom.  12 :  1. 

He  besought  them  by  the  mercy,  not  by  the 
tyranny,  wrath  and  vindictive  justice,  of  God.  He 
besought  them  by  the  mercies  of  our  heavenly 
Father,  in  all  the  simplicity  of  a  friend  going  into 
your  house,  and  saying,  "  Children,  I  beseech  you,  by 
the  tenderness,  by  the  kindness,  and  by  the  com- 
passion of  your  parents,  to  obey  them,  and  devote 
4 


38  TRUE   FAITH    A    SOURCE   OF   REST. 

yourself  entirely  to  their  wisdom,  experience,  and 
knowledge." 

It  is  desirable  to  look  into  the  Scriptures  to  see 
what  they  require  us  to  believe.  When  men  write 
creeds,  they  write  many  articles ;  but  Jesus  Christ 
says,  "  Believe  in  God ;  believe  also  in  me." 
That  seems  to  be  the  whole  faith.  What  is  this 
belief?  To  believe  in  God  as  the  all-wise  author 
of  our  being,  and  in  Jesus  Christ  as  our  deliverer 
from  sin  and  death.  Believe  in  this,  and  believe  in 
the  whole  extent  of  it,  and  believe  God  is  destitute 
of  partiality,  and  of  any  power  to  make  this  division 
among  the  human  family,  as  he  is  represented  as 
the  father  of  all,  and  you  will  enter  into  rest.  The 
moment  you  believe  this  doctrine,  you  have  peace. 
You  will  not  serve  him  because  you  are  afraid  of 
torment,  but  because  you  love  him,  because  you 
have  peace  and  enjoyment  in  obeying  the  com- 
mandments and  requirements  of  God.  It  is  a  false 
notion  that  it  is  no  matter  what  we  do,  if  God  loves 
us ;  because  all  that  God  has  done  for  man  stands 
up  as  evidence  of  God,  as  evidence  of  his  good- 
ness and  immutable  nature,  and  stands  as  an  induce- 
ment to  us  to  honor  and  glorify  our  Maker.     Let 


TRUE   FAITH    A    SOURCE   OF   REST, 


39 


us  observe,  the  blessings  of  faith  must  be  enjoyed 
while  faith  lasts.  The  Christian  church  expects  to 
receive  blessings  in  the  future  world,  as  a  reward 
and  compensation  for  its  faith  in  this.  Here  is  a 
strange  notion.  My  friends,  you  must  enjoy  the 
blessings  of  your  faith  while  you  have  your  faith ; 
and  you  must  suffer  the  consequence  of  your  unbe- 
lief while  your  unbelief  lasts. 

As  I  have  just  time  to  represent  this  in  a  simile 
simple  and  natural,  I  will  suppose  that  some  poor 
creature,  in  the  circle  of  the  society  in  which  you 
move,  should  believe  that  the  sun  will  never  rise 
again,  nor  glorify  the  day,  nor  any  longer  give  light 
to  the  world,  and  this  gloomy  soul  should  persuade 
many  others  to  think  the  same.  The  rest  of  society 
believe  that  the  sun  will  rise  as  he  did  this  morning, 
and  pass  on  as  he  has  always  done.  Now,  how 
long  are  you  to  be  blessed  in  consequence  of  believ- 
ing the  promises  of  God,  that  day  and  night  shall 
continue?  When  do  you  receive  that  blessing? 
During  the  light?  No,  not  after  the  sun  rises, 
because  then  it  has  come.  On  the  other  hand, 
when  are  those  tormented  who  are  in  unbelief? 
It  is  impossible  they  can  be  tormented  with  unbe- 


40  TRUE  FAITH   A   SOURCE  OF   REST. 

lief  when  they  see  the  sun  rise.  The  inconvenience 
of  unbelief  must  be  only  during  the  night;  for, 
the  moment  the  evidence  of  a  glorious  morning 
appears,  and  the  sun  begins  to  shine,  their  gloom 
and  unbelief  are  dissipated  together,  and  they  break 
out  in  joy  and  acclamations  of  satisfaction.  The 
words  of  St.  Paul  are  applicable  to  this  subject : 
"  What  if  some  did  not  believe  ?  shall  ,the  unbelief 
of  man  make  the  faith  of  God  of  no  effect  ?  God 
forbid."  God  is  just  as  good,  my  brethren,  when 
men  are  unbelievers,  as  when  they  are  believers; 
but  by  believing  we  enter  into  enjoyment.  We 
believe  the  testimony  of  the  gospel,  through  which 
our  blessed  Saviour  has  brought  life  and  immor- 
tality to  light,  —  not  created  it,  but  brought  it  to 
light,  —  he  has  manifested  it,  and  we  believe  in 
this  state  of  life  and  immortality.  We  do  not 
expect  immortality  because  we  believe,  but  peace  of 
soul.  And,  my  dear  friends,  if  you  believe  in  the 
imchangeable,  impartial  kindness  of  God  towards 
the  human  family,  and  in  the  resurrection  of  his 
Son,  our  Saviour,  from  the  dead,  and  that  he  is 
made  unto  us  wisdom,  righteousness,  and  sanc- 
tification,  —  while    you   believe   in   this,   you   will 


TRUE   FAITH   A    SOURCE   OF   REST.  41 

enter   into  rest,  and   enjoy  peace  and  comfort,  by 
that  belief. 

And  now,  may  God  Almighty  grant-  that  we  may 
duly  appreciate   the   blessings   bestowed   upon   us, 
enter  into  rest,  and  enjoy  all  the  sweets,  comforts, 
and  consolations,  of  the  gospel  of  peace  ! 
4# 


SERMON   III 


But  whoso  looketh  into  the  perfect  law  of  ltbertt» 

AND  CONTINUETH  THEREIN,  HE  BEING  NOT  A  FORGETFUL 
HEAHER,    BUT  A  DOER  OF  THE  WORK,    THIS    MAN    SHALIi 

BE  BLESSED  IN  HIS  DEED.  —  James  1  :   25. 

A  DESCRIPTION  of  the  perfect  law  of  liberty  is  the 
first  subject  to  which  the  attention  of  the  hearer  is 
invited.  Though  it  has  pleased  our  heavenly  Father 
to  reveal  himself  in  a  vast  variety  of  forms  or 
methods,  yet  in  all  his  dispensations  he  is  the  same 
being,  and  is  possessed  of  the  same  character ;  and 
though  at  different  periods  he  may  have  instituted 
diflferent  rites  and  ceremonies,  as  the  means  whereby 
the  people  should  exercise  themselves  in  holiness, 
and  in  the  spirit  of  divine  worship,  he  was  always 
the  same,  and  must  ever  remain  the  same ;  and 
though  diflferent  names  are  given  to  different  dis- 
pensations recorded  in  the  Scriptures,  yet  the  law 


PERFECTION   OF   GOD's   LAW.  43 

of  the  All-wise  Creator  never  has  varied,  and  never 
can  vary.  God,  being  the  Father  of  all  rational, 
intelligent  beings,  has  but  one  unchajjjgeable  law  by 
which  to  govern  them,  and  that  law  is  the  law 
mentioned  in  the  text.  We  hear  of  the  law  given 
to  the  house  of  Israel  by  the  mediator  of  the  first 
covenant,  and  we  read  of  the  law  of  the  spirit  of 
life  in  Christ  Jesus.  My  brethren  and  friends, 
these  are  the  same  laws  ;  for  the  law  of  Moses  is  aU 
summed  up  and  explained  in  these  words,  by  the 
blessed  Redeemer,  "  Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy 
God  with  all  thy  soul,  with  all  thy  mind,  with  all 
thy  strength,  and  with  all  thy  might.  This  is  the 
first  and  great  commandment  of  the  law,  and  the 
second  is  like  unto  it ;  thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor 
as  thyself.  On  these  two  commandments  hang  all 
the  law  and  the  prophets." 

Permit  me  here  to  observe  that  this  law  is  the 
same  as  the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus, 
which  makes  us  free  from  the  law  of  sin  and  death. 
The  law  of  sin  is  death;  but  the  law  of  life  in 
Christ  Jesus  is  the  law  of  love,  and  no  other  law 
can  make  the  transgressor  free  from  sin.  What- 
ever other  methods  are  proposed,  whatever  sug- 


44  PERFECTION    OF    GOD'S   LAW. 

gestions  have  been  made  by  the  wisdom  of  the 
world  respecting  means  and  methods  whereby  the 
sinner  is  justified,  Heaven  devised  but  one  way, 
and  that  is  by  conformity  to  the  law  of  God.  Who- 
ever loves  the  Lord  his  God,  and  his  neighbor  as 
himself,  fulfils  the  law,  and  in  that  he  is  justified ; 
and  it  is  altogether  impossible  that  any  other  kind 
of  justification  should  do  the  creature  the  least  good. 
This  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  is  the  law 
of  love  to  God,  and  love  to  man ;  and  the  apostle 
says  that  all  the  law  is  fulfilled  in  one  word,  eveti 
in  this,  "  thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself." 
In  further  describing  this  law,  we  shall  take  notice 
of  its  perfection.  It  is  called,  as  in  our  text,  "  the 
perfect  law  of  liberty."  It  then  must  be  a  perfect 
law  of  liberty.  A  law  is  perfect,  if  it  needs  no 
amendment  or  alteration  to  answer  the  purpose  for 
which  it  was  made.  In  human  legislation  it  is 
frequently  the  case  that  it  is  necessary  to  make 
alterations  and  amendments  in  a  law  to  answer  the 
purposes  and  ends  of  that  law  ;  but  in  divine  legis- 
lation there  is  no  occasion  for  this,  because  our 
heavenly  Father  could  make  no  mistake.  Almighty 
God,  in  framing  a  law,  knew  what  would  answer  the 


PERFECTION   OF   GOD'S   LAW.  45 

purpose ,  and  therefore  his  law  was  complete  and 
perfect  in  the  beginning.  Now,  no  other  law  would 
answer  the  purpose,  but  the  law  of  love ;  for  love 
towards  God  secures  the  creature's  obedience,  in  all 
its  forms ;  because,  whoever  loves  another  always 
endeavors  to  conform  to  what  is  agreeable  to  the 
person  he  loves.  And  if  we  love  our  neighbors  as 
ourselves,  it  is  impossible  that  we  can  trespass  on 
their  rights,  privileges  or  immuniti^,  in  any  shape, 
or  ever  fall  short  of  doing  everything  to  them,  and 
for  them,  that  they  can  need  from  us,  as  far  as  we 
are  able.  You  see,  then,  the  perfection  of  the  law. 
It  never  can  be  altered,  it  never  can  be  changed ;  it 
was  perfect  in  the  beginning,  it  is  perfect  now,  it 
will  always  remain  a  perfect  law.  There  never  will 
be  any  need  of  repealing  it ;  it  will  be  always  binding, 
always  obligatory,  on  every  being  in  the  universe ; 
and  you  will  hear  the  cry,  through  all  heaven  and 
through  all  nature,  "  Love  the  Lord  thy  God  with 
all  thy  heart,  —  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  This 
is  pure,  unsullied  divinity,  from  God  the  Creator  of 
all.  My  friends,  it  never  can  possibly  be  otherwise 
than  the  duty  of  every  mortal  being  to  love  his 
Creator  and  his  fellow-beings. 


46  PERFECTION    OF   GOD's    LAW. 

The  perfection  of  this  law  appears  in  its  being 
perfectly  calculated  to  answer  the  end  and  purpose 
of  that  law,  which  is  the  ultimate  happiness  and 
felicity  of  the  subject.  It  is  not  necessary  for  me 
to  inform  my  hearers  that  the  very  end  and  design 
is  the  happiness  of  a  subject.  Any  law  that  does 
not  produce  the  happiness  of  the  subject  in  the 
result  is  a  law  that  does  not  answer  its  designs. 
And  here  permit  me  to  observe  that  it  is  proof 
positive  that  our  heavenly  Father  designed  the  hap- 
piness of  every  rational  creature,  in  that  he  subjected 
all  to  his  requirement,  "  Love  the  Lord  thy  God 
with  all  thy  heart,  and  thy  neighbor  as  thyself." 
Permit  me  to  observe  that  it  is  impossible  for  any 
individual  to  perform  the  duties  here  required  with- 
out being  blessed  to  all  the  extent  of  blessing  that  he 
can  enjoy.  Our  heavenly  Father  continually  blesses 
his  creatures  on  earth;  and  those  creatures  have 
nothing  better  to  bestow  in  return  than  love  towards 
Grod  and  their  fellow-men.  Here  permit  me  also  to 
say  that  the  perfection  of  the  law  appears  in  another 
peculiar  instance,  namely,  that  it  has  no  substitute. 
There  is  no  substitute  for  obedience.  Heaven  never 
accepts  of  anything  in  room  of  this  obedience.    You 


PERFECTION   OF   GOD'S   LAW.  47 

cannot  put  it  oflf,  and  settle  your  account  with  the 
law  in  any  other  way  than  by  conforming  to  it. 
This  is  the  nature  of  the  law  of  love ;  and  it  may, 
if  you  please,  be  simplified  by  what  is  perfectly  within 
the  capacity  of  common  understanding.  If  the  pa- 
rent love  the  child,  there  is  nothing  to  be  expected 
in  return  but  love  from  the  child  to  the  parent.  He 
might  bring  all  the  offerings  and  sacrifices  in  his 
ability  to  bestow,  and  spread  them  at  his  father's 
feet,  and  say,  "  Accept  of  these  in  room  of  my  love 
and  affection ;  "  and  though  the  offering  contained  all 
the  mines  of  the  south,  and  all  the  riches  of  the 
Indies,  it  would  be  worth  nothing  in  comparison  with 
love.  The  father  would  say,  "  No,  child ;  I  love 
you  in  my  heart ;  the  only  return  I  can  accept  is 
that  you  love  me."  In  the  law  of  God  the  result 
is  just  the  same.  The  principle  is  immutable.  It 
has  been  proposed  by  erring  man  —  (remember  "  to 
err  is  human,"  and  we  do  not  disparage  his  character 
when  we  say  this),  —  it  has  been  proposed  by  erring 
man,  I  say,  that,  finally,  God  will  accept  of  some- 
thing in  room  of  man's  love;  that  something  else 
will  answer  the  same  purpose.  Now,  what  has  been 
proposed  as  this  substitute  ?     I  am  sorry  I  cannot 


48  PERFECTION   OF   GOd's   LAW. 

show  you  a  better  than  that  I  am  about  to  mention. 
It  is  the  worst  that  ever  could  have  been  thought 
of;  but  it  has  been  thought  of,  and  proposed  to  the 
people.  It  is  to  employ  God  himself —  observe,  to 
employ  God  himself —  in  the  eternal  work  of  tor- 
menting his  creatures,  in  room  of  accepting  their 
love  to  him.  My  friends,  what  sort  of  return  is 
this?  Let  us  look  at  it.  Let  us  understand  the 
nature  of  it.  Why  does  God  require  us  to  love  him  ? 
The  reason  given  at  once  is,  "  because  he  loves  us." 
1  John  4 :  10,  19.  If  we  are  enemies  to  any  per- 
son, we  do  not  wish  that  person  to  love  us.  But,  if 
we  love  any  person,  we  wish  him  to  love  us.  Is  not 
this  natural  ?  If  you  love  your  child,  in  the  room 
of  that  child's  loving  you,  would  you  be  satisfied  to 
torment  that  child  as  far  as  lay  in  your  power  ? 
This  is  downright  absurdity.  Nothing  can  be  more 
absurd.  It  is  granted,  on  all  hands,  that  the  Cre- 
ator loves  us,  or  he  never  would  have  required  us  to 
love  him.  If  he  loves  us,  he  has  no  substitute  for 
our  love  to  him.  Our  disobedience,  certainly,  will 
not  answer  in  room  of  love.  Our  being  tormented 
is  far  from  answering  the  purpose.  "  Why,"  says 
the  hearer,  "  is  not  the  law  a  penal  law  ?    Does  it 


PERFECTION   OF   GOD's   LAW.  49 

not  require  the  everlasting  torment  of  those  who 
disobey  it  ?  "  As  plainly  as  the  question  is  stated, 
so  plainly  we  answer  in  the  negative.  My  friends, 
it  is  dii-ect  absurdity  and  contradiction  to  say  that 
the  law  of  love  requires  the  disobedient  to  be  ever- 
lastingly tormented.  What  God  requires  of  the 
disobedient  is  obedience,  and  that  is  all.  "But  does 
it  not  inflict  punishment  ?  "  says  the  hearer.  "  Does 
not  this  law  subject  the  transgressor  to  punishment  ?  " 
Yes,  it  does.  The  proposition  is  essential  to  the 
doctrine  ;  but,  bear  in  mind  this  one  thing  :  that  a 
God  of  infinite  wisdom  never  would,  and  never  could, 
consistently  with  this  law,  introduce  a  penalty  calcu- 
lated to  effectuate  disobedience  in  the  end ;  for  that 
would  be  to  transgress  his  own  law.  The  law  is  the 
law  of  love ;  and  that  which  would  keep  the  creature 
from  love  would  be  an  abolition  of  the  law.  This 
proves,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  that  if  the  law 
have  a  penalty  inconsistent  with  itself,  it  would  be 
an  abolition  of  itself.  To  be  plain  about  it :  imagine, 
for  a  moment,  that  one  single  wretched  individual, 
falling  under  the  penalty  of  the  law,  is  sent  into  a 
state  of  endless  sin,  to  suffer  to  all  eternity.  I  ask 
you.  Does  such  a  law  operate  like  love  ?  No.  What 
5 


50  PERFECTION    OF   GOD'S    LAW. 

is  it,  then  ?  It  is  enmity ;  it  is  wratK ;  it  is  unkind* 
ness.  "  Be  not  overcome  of  evil,"  says  the  scrip- 
ture, "  but  overcome  evil  with  good."  E.om.  12  :  21. 
Is  this  overcoming  evil  with  good,  making  a  creature 
suffer  endless  misery  ?  No.  It  is  establishing  the 
creature  in  endless  sin,  because  he  did  not  for  a  few 
moments  love  God.  It  is  passing  a  decree  that  he 
shall  never  love  God  !  Can  you  affirm  anything 
more  contrary  to  the  law  of  love  ?  No.  But  the 
law  of  love  is  perfect,  as  it  administers  its  punish- 
ment to  bring  transgressors  to  obedience.  That  is 
the  perfection  of  the  law  of  God.  You  will  find  this 
to  be  the  fact,  by  your  observation  and  experience  in 
society.  For,  if  you  deviate  from  this  law  of  love, 
you  will  find  disobedience  and  trouble  so  inseparably 
connected,  that  any  deviation  from  the  love  of  God, 
and  fi-om  the  love  of  mankind,  operates  to  your  dis- 
advantage. What  is  this  more  than  to  tell  us,  the 
moment  we  disobey,  "  Child,  you  have  done  wrong ; 
you  have  gone  astray  from  your  felicity.  There  is 
but  one  way  for  you  to  regain  that  felicity,  and  that 
is  to  return  to  your  duty.  Love  your  God,  and  love 
your  neighbor  as  yourself."  You  will  find,  also, 
that  God  never  suffers  one  act  of  obedience  to  go 


PERFECTION    OF    GOD'S    LAW.  51 

unrewarded.  He  always  compensates  obedience.  It 
is  sometimes  the  case  in  civil  society,  owing  to  the 
constitution  of  human  nature,  that  we  do  not  enjoy 
the  reward  of  good  works  immediately;  but  in 
moral  government  there  is  no  possibility  of  such  a 
mistake,  because  the  soul  that  loves  Grod  enjoys  the 
happy  compensation  in  his  own  bosom.  For  there  is 
no  possibility  of  a  man's  loving  God  and  his  neighbor 
without  enjoying  happiness.  Thus  he  is  blessed. 
In  this  you  will  see  the  perfection  of  the  law.  It 
never  suifers  any  deviation  from  it  to  pass  with  im- 
punity; but  it  administers  aU  the  chastisement 
which  the  nature  of  the  case  requires,  in  every 
degree  in  which  it  is  disobeyed. 

Having  taken  notice  of  the  perfection  of  the  law, 
we  will  now  consider  the  other  quality  of  it. 

Our  text  says,  "  But  whoso  looketh  into  the  per- 
fect law  of  liberty:''  You  see,  my  friends,  it  is  not 
only  a  "  perfect"  law,  but  a  law  of  "  liberty:'  Why 
is  it  "a  law  of  liberty"?  If  you  will  not  draw 
conclusions  too  hastily,  but  hear  a  few  words  on  the 
subject,  I  will  tell  you.  It  is  called  the  perfect  law 
of  liberty  because  it  gives  every  person  liberty  to 
do  just  as  he  has  a  mind  to  do.     I  told  you  not  to 


52  PERFECTION   OF    GOD's   LAW, 

draw  conclusions  too  hastily.  I  put  the  sentiment 
in  these  terms  to  assist  your  memory.  It  is  the 
law  of  liberty  ;  for  the  subject  enjoys  the  privilege 
of  doing  just  as  he  pleases.  But,  "  How  is  this  ? " 
says  the  hearer.  "  Suppose  I  transgress  the  com- 
mandment, and  suppose  I  will  wrong  my  neighbor. 
I  can  put  something  into  my  coffers  by  taking  it 
away  from  my  fellow-creatures.  I  have  a  right  to 
do  this !  I  think  I  have  liberty."  Is  this  the  law  ? 
Look  at  the  law.  "Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy 
God  with  all  thy  heart,  with  all  thy  mind,  and  with 
all  thy  strength.  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as 
thyself."  Now,  in  order  to  know  whether  you  have 
a  right  to  do  just  as  you  please,  in  the  first  place 
begin  by  loving  God  and  your  neighbor,  and  then  do 
what  you  please. 

If  you  love  God,  it  will  be  your  pleasure  to  serve 
him ;  and  if  you  love  your  fellow-creature,  it  will 
wound  you  to  harm  him.  This  may  be  brought  to 
the  test  of  your  feelings.  In  the  circle  where  you 
find  the  companion  of  your  bosom  and  your  lovely 
children  around  you,  you  can  do  just  as  you  please. 
The  law  there  is  "  a  law  of  perfect  liberty ;  "  because 
you  would  please  do  nothing  but  good.     Just  so, 


PERFECTION   OF   GOD's    LAW.  53 

every  lover  of  God,  and  every  lover  of  mankind,  who 
has  uncontrolled  liberty  to  do  just  as  he  pleases, 
never  chooses  to  do  anything  dishonorable  to  his 
Maker,  or  injurious  to  his  fellow-creatures ;  but  he 
will  do  everything  to  contribute  to  the  benefit  and 
good  of  mankind.  What  more  liberty  do  you  want  ? 
What  is  required  of  thee,  0  man,  but  "  to  do  justly, 
to  love  mercy,  and  to  walk  humbly  before  God  "  ? 
Let  us  observe  that  the  man  who  looks  into  the 
perfect  law  of  liberty,  and  continueth  therein,  "  not 
being  a  forgetful  hearer,  but  a  doer  of  the  work,  is 
blessed  therein,"  blessed  in  his  deed. 

In  order  to  form  a  perfect  idea  on  this  subject,  I 
propose  to  advert  to  what  is  generally  preached  in 
the  Christian  church.  You  are  exhorted  sometimes 
to  be  religious,  and  you  are  told  that  you  will  be 
rewarded  in  the  next  world.  Though  it  be  ever  so 
hard,  ever  so  irksome,  to  be  virtuous,  and  though  it 
be  ever  so  disagreeable  to  lead  a  religious  and  holy 
life,  it  is  better  to  do  this  than  to  live  in  ease,  and 
plenty,  and  joy,  and  happiness,  regaling  ourselves 
with  the  luxuries  of  this  life,  and  miss  heaven  at 
last.  My  hearers,  this  is  an  awful  mistake.  How 
it  sinks  the  dignity,  beauty  and  glory,  of  religion  ! 
5=^ 


54  PERFECTION   OF    GOD's    LAW. 

Religion  is  "  the  bread  of  life  "  and  "  the  water 
of  life."  Shall  I  tell  you  it  is  better  to  enjoy  the 
frost  of  winter  than  the  glory  and  comfort  of  the 
summer  sun  ?  T\Tiat  sort  of  reasoning  would  it  be, 
if  I  were  to  tell  you  that,  for  the  sake  of  a  reward  in 
eternity,  it  is  better  for  you  to  eat  food  ever  so  disa- 
greeable, than  to  live  in  all  the  enjoyments  of  plen- 
ty ?  There  is  the  water,  the  pure  water  of  life. 
Must  you  receive  it  when  it  is  disagreeable,  because 
you  will  be  rewarded  hereafter  ?  Whoever  thought 
of  a  reward  for  eating  food  beyond  the  benefit  of  the 
thing  itself  ?  These  emblems  of  Jesus  Christ  and 
his  religion  show  that  religion  itself  is  peace.  You 
will  perceive,  by  the  text,  that  "  the  hearer  who 
looks  at  the  perfect  law  of  liberty,  and  continues 
therein,  shall  be  blessed  in  his  deed.'"  What  is  the 
deed  ?  To  love  God,  his  Creator.  And  who,  in  all 
the  world,  in  all  the  universe,  would  not  be  blessed 
in  his  deed,  if  he  loved  God  ?  If  you  love  your 
neighbor,  are  you  not  blessed  ?  If  you  do  not  love 
God,  are  you  not  troubled  ?  if  you  hate  your  neigh- 
bor, are  you  not  tormented  ?  And  here  is  the  per- 
fect law  of  liberty,  into  which,  if  you  look  and  con- 
tinue  therein,   "  not   being  forgetful   hearers,  but 


PERFECTION    OF    GOD'S    LAW.  55 

doers  of  the  work,  you  shall  be  blessed  in  your 
deedy  Blessing  a  hearer /o?*  doing  his  moral  duty, 
as  a  compensation,  besides  the  blessings  he  derives 
from  acting  right,  is  a  subject  which  requires  some 
animadversion.  I  will  ask,  what  compensation  can 
you  expect  ?  What  compensation  besides  is  possi- 
ble ?  What  other  compensation  can  you  receive,  in 
the  nature  of  things  ?  If  we  love  God  and  our 
fellow-creatures,  does  not  that  compensate  itself,  and 
is  not  that  a  sufficient  reward  for  the  labor  of  our 
love  ?  What  can  we  expect  in  addition  ?  What 
would  you  have  ?  Something  besides  your  love  to 
God,  and  your  love  to  man  !  What  is  it  ?  Only 
a  moment's  reflection  shows  you  that  there  cannot 
be  any  other  recompense.  What  can  be  inflicted 
on  the  transgressor,  in  addition  to  the  inconvenience 
resulting  from  his  transgression  ?  What  extra 
punishment  can  you  lay  upon  him  ?  A  moment's 
reflection  will  show  you  that  there  is  not  anything 
else  in  the  universe.  Sufficient  unto  man  is  the 
punishment  of  sin.     You  can  add  nothing  to  it. 

Now,  permit  me  to  ask  you  what  compensation 
you  ever  thought  of,  for  taking  care  of  your  own 
duties,  for  loving  your  family,  for  taking  care  of 


56  PERFECTION    OF    GOD's    LATT. 

your  children  ?  "  0  ! "  says  the  hearer,  "  I  never 
thought  of  any,  other  than  the  blessing  of  loving  my 
family,  and  doing  for  them  all  that  they  needed." 
What  is  there  that  could  compensate  more  than  this 
enjoyment  ?  Nothing  in  the  universe.  There  is 
no  possibility  of  any  other  compensation,  and  no 
other  exists  in  nature.  No  other  is  wanted.  Will 
you  say,  "  If  I  did  not  expect  an  eternity  of  blessing 
in  another  world,  I  would  not  love  the  companion 
of  my  bosom,  I  would  not  love  my  children,  I 
would  not  love  my  fellow-creatures ;  bitt  I  would  do 
all  the  harm  to  my  dearest  friends  that  was  possi- 
ble"? Can  moral  delirium  extend  to  this  ?  I  know 
not  whether  you  have  ever  heard  of  anything  similar 
to  what  I  am  about  to  mention ;  but,  in  my  acquaint- 
ance with  society,  it  has  frequently  been  said  to 
m.e  (I  will  state  no  more  than  the  truth,  but  I  will 
do  it  impartially),  by  those  who  profess  to  be  teach- 
ers of  the  Christian  religion,  that  if  they  believed 
God  would  save  all  mankind,  and  render  them  ever- 
lastingly blessed,  they  would  never  obey  any  of  the 
requirements  of  religion ;  they  would  not  read  their 
Bible,  they  would  never  go  to  meeting,  nor  to  any 
place  of  worship.    I  do  not  mention  this  to  cast  any 


PERFECTION   OF   GOD'S   LAW.  57 

reflections  on  sects  or  denominations.  That  is  out 
of  the  question.  I  state  it  as  the  nature  of  the 
case,  the  nature  of  the  principle.  I  will  now  inter- 
rogate these  professors  in  this  way :  I  will  ask 
them  first  what  is  religion.  They  will  agree  that 
it  is  to  love  God  and  mankind.  Love  your  God, 
and  love  your  neighbor  as  yourself.  Then,  put  all 
this  together,  and  see  the  absurdity  of  their  profes- 
sion !  Here  the  professor  comes  forward,  and  claims 
to  be  religious ;  that  is,  he  professes  to  love  God 
and  to  love  his  neighbor.  Yes,  and,  under  these 
circumstances,  he  tells  God,  "  If  I  knew  that  thou 
wouldst  do  as  well  by  ray  neighbor  as  by  me,  I 
never  would  have  loved  thee  or  my  neighbor." 

Many  of  you  are  parents.  Suppose  your  children 
come  to  you  and  say,  "  You  ask  us  to  love  you. 
AYell,  we  have  done  so.  What  reward  will  you 
give  us  for  our  love  ?"  "  Why,  children,"  say  you, 
"if  you  love  your  parents,  you  have  happiness." 
"  Yes,  we  know  that ;  but  it  is  hard  to  love  those 
who  do  not  conduct  themselves  properly.  What  are 
we  to  have  more  than  our  brothers  and  sisters  ? " 
"  Why,"  says  the  parent,  "  I  love  you  all  alike.  I 
intend  to  do  by  you  all  alike."     "  Well,"  say  these 


§8  PERFECTION   OF    GOD'S   LAW. 

children,  "  if  we  had  known  that  you  were  going  to 
do  by  our  brothers  and  sisters,  who  did  not  love  you, 
as  well  as  you  do  by  us,  we  never  would  have  loved 
you,  —  we  never  would  have  loved  them."  Here 
comes  out  the  hypocrisy !  Here  comes  out  the 
deceit !  IMust  we  pretend  to  love  God,  and  love 
our  neighbor,  and  then  say  we  never  would  do  so, 
if  we  thought  God  would  do  as  well  by  them  as  he 
does  by  us  ?  How  long,  my  hearers,  is  man  to  be 
blind  ?  How  long  is  he  to  be  withheld  from  the 
perfect  law  of  liberty  ?  How  long  is  he  to  be  with- 
held from  continuing  in  it,  and  enjoying  it  ?  "What 
blessings  every  heart  would  enjoy,  if  it  exercised 
love  to  God  and  man  !  And  how  joyful  would  be 
the  thought  that  the  Author  of  our  being  will  be 
the  same  to  our  fellow-creatures  as  to  us  !  This  is 
all  I  want,  this  is  all  I  pray  for,  all  I  expect.  Do 
we  not  see  that  when  one  child  who  loves  its  parent 
comes  with  a  request  to  that  parent,  it  requests  also 
for  others,  as  well  as  itself?  But  what  would  you 
think  of  the  child  who  would  say,  "  Father,  I  want 
some  food  ;  but  I  cannot  enjoy  it,  if  you  let  others 
have  food  also,  so  well  as  I  should  if  you  would  let 
them  starve  in  my  sight ;    I  should  then  relish  it  to 


PERFECTION   OE    GOD's    LAW.  59 

an  extent  thut  I  never  can  enjoy  if  you  let  them 
have  food  also  "  ?  "  Why,"  says  the  hearer,  "  such 
a  child  ought  to  know  the  want  of  food,  in  order 
that  he  might  pity  those  who  were  in  the  same  situ- 
ation." My  friendly  hearers,  is  it  not  dishonorable 
to  God,  and  degrading  to  man,  to  hold  up  such  doc- 
trines, and  call  them  by  the  name  of  divinity  ?  and, 
to  crown  the  whole  absurdity,  call  them  this  perfect 
law  of  liberty  ?  Does  this  exhibit  the  character 
and  preaching  and  labors  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  ? 
No.  The  perfect  law  of  liberty  is  the  law  of  the 
spirit  of  love,  which  is  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
He  loved  his  Father  with  all  his  heart ;  he  loved 
mankind  as  he  loved  himself;  and  gave  himself  for 
us,  that  he  might  sanctify  us  by  the  washing  of  the 
Word.  He  was  blessed  in  his  deed  ;  and  he  says, 
"  My  meat  and  my  drink  is  to  do  the  will  of  him 
that  sent  me."  And,  if  we  are  disciples  of  Jesus, 
it  will  be  our  meat  and  drink  to  do  so  likewise. 
We  are  not  to  love  God  to  make  him  love  us ;  we 
are  not  to  love  our  fellow- creatures  to  make  God 
love  us ;  but  it  is  our  natural  duty  to  love  God 
because  he  first  loved  us,  and  our  fellow-creatures 
because  God  loves  them.     This  is  so  plain  and  man- 


DO  PERFECTION    OF    GOD'S   LAW. 

ifest,  that  it  is  strange  society  has  lived  so  long  in 
darkness  and  ignorance. 

We  are  told  sometimes  that  this  doctrine  leads  to 
licentiousness.  How  is  that  possible  ?  How  can 
we  love  God  and  man,  and  be  licentious  ?  "  But," 
sajs  the  hearer,  "  God  is  good  to  all,  and  will  make 
all  forever  happy ;  does  not  this  furnish  reason  for 
indulgence  in  sin  ?  "  Our  blessed  Saviour  pointed 
out  the  universal  benevolence  of  God  in  the  sun  and 
rain.  "  It  hath  been  said  unto  you,  by  them  of  old 
time,  thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  and  hate  thine 
enemy ;  but  I  say  unto  you,  love  your  enemies,  do 
good  to  them  that  hate  you,  and  pray  for  them  that 
despitefully  use  you,  that  you  may  be  the  children 
of  your  Father  who  is  in  heaven,  who  causes  his 
sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good,  and 
sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust ^ 

Moses  says,  "My  doctrine  shall  drop  like  the 
rain,  my  speech  shall  distil  as  the  dew  ;  as  the  small 
rain  upon  the  tender  herb,  and  as  the  showers  upon 
the  grass."  These,  my  friends,  are  gospel  emblems. 
Does  this  sun,  does  this  rain,  does  this  dew,  preach 
a  licentious  doctrine  ?  Do  they  not  preach  loving 
kindness  to  all  the  earth  ?     Hear  the  gospel  of  God, 


PERFECTION   OE   GOd'S   LAW.  61 

as  preached  by  himself :  "In  blessing  I  will  bless 
thee,  and  in  multiplying  I  will  multiply  thee ;  and 
in  thee,  and  in  thy  seed,  shall  ALL  nations  be 
blessed."  God  blesses  all.  He  sends  us  the  heat 
of  the  sun  ;  he  sends  us  genial  rain ;  and,  as  far  as 
the  dews  fall,  so  far  shall  the  gospel  result  in 
blessing  the  human  family.  And  let  each  of  us 
say,  "  If  God  loves  me,  I  will  imitate  my  Father  in 
heaven ;  and  if  the  gospel  embraces  us  all,  let  me 
do  the  same,  and  embrace  my  fellow-creatures  in 
the  affection  of  the  soul ;  and  let  me  live  in  this 
religion,  walk  in  this  perfect  law  of  liberty,  and  be 
blessed  in  my  deeds." 
6 


SEEM ON    lY 


Unto  us  a  child  is  bokn,  unto  us  a  son  is  given.— 
Isaiah  9 :  6. 

I  WILL  attempt,  in  the  first  place,  to  illustrate 
what  is  meant  by  this  expression. 

"  Unto  us  a  child  is  born,  unto  us  a  son  is  given." 
It  is  a  child  that  is  born  ;  it  is  a  son  that  is  given. 
We  fii'st  state  the  position,  and  then  illustrate  it. 
The  meaning  of  the  text  is,  that  this  child,  this  son, 
was  born  or  given  to  the  world  of  mankind  for  their 
benefit.  All  gifts  are  supposed  to  be  for  the  benefit 
of  those  to  whom  they  are  made. 

The  Messiah,  who  is  the  subject  of  this  scripture, 
was  born  for  the  benefit  of  the  world,  was  given  for 
the  benefit  of  mankind ;  and  thus  justifies  the  form 
of  expression,  "  unto  us  a  child  is  born,  unto  us  a 
son  is  given  :"  that  is,  for  our  benefit. 

The  illustration  will  be  taken,  iji  the  first  place^ 
from  some  circumstances  that  have   come  within 


THE   GIFT   OF   A   SAVIOUR.  63 

your  own  observation,  in  the  circle  of  jour  acquaint- 
ance in  society.  You  have,  perhaps,  known  a  fam- 
ily that  has  seen  good  days,  and  enjoyed  affluence, 
by  some  misfortune  become  reduced  to  poverty  and 
want,  and  not  able  to  retrieve  their  former  condi- 
tion. It  so  happens,  by  the  kind  providence  of  God, 
that  a  little  child,  an  infant,  is  born,  who,  when  he 
is  first  given  to  the  family,  seems  to  be,  as  it  were, 
an  addition  to  their  care  and  expense,  and  an 
increase  to  their  wants ;  but  in  a  few  years  he 
expands  in  understanding,  discovers  a  genius,  powers 
of  enterprise  and  faculties  of  industry,  by  which  he 
becomes  the  promising  hope  of  the  family.  In  a 
little  time  longer,  he  enters  into  business;  and 
evinces  such  prudence,  such  wisdom,  and  such  appli- 
cation, that,  in  a  short  time,  he  retrieves  the  condi- 
tion of  the  family,  rescues  them,  as  it  were,  from 
distress  and  want,  and  places  them  not  only  in  a 
comfortable  condition,  but  even  in  the  elegancies  of 
rank  and  fortune. 

It  may  well  be  said  that  this  child  was  given  to 
that  family  for  a  noble  and  beneficial  purpose,  and 
with  the  child  a  genius  that  accomplished  all  the 
salutary  results.      He  redeems  the  family,  if  you 


64  THE   GIFT   OF   A   SAYIOUR. 

will  allow  me  the  expression,  from  poverty,  want 
and  distress,  and  lifts  them  to  a  condition  far  from 
the  calamities  of  want.  I  will  take  one  illustration 
from  the  history  of  our  common  country ;  and  I 
hope  the  spirit  and  sensibility  of  my  audience  will 
support  me  in  using  it.  \Vhen  these  states  were 
colonies,  but  had  grown  to  maturity  of  age  and 
strength,  rendering  it  proper  that  they  should  enjoy 
freedom  and  independence,  that  kind  providence 
which  had  regarded  their  infant  state  still  watched 
over  them  for  good.  Connected  with  this  situation 
was  a  degree  of  prosperity  that  moved  the  envy  of 
the  mother  country,  which  operated  to  induce  her 
to  pass  parliamentary  acts,  justly  viewed  as  acts  of 
oppression,  and  calculated  to  disallow  the  privileges 
of  freedom,  and  to  fasten  upon  the  colonies  the 
chains  of  slavery  to  the  latest  generation.  While 
this  was  going  on,  that  Being,  whose  all-seeing  eye 
never  closes,  who  never  falls  asleep,  was  nursing 
that  person,  whose  name,  no  doubt,  you  delight  to 
hear,  and  which  I  may  pronounce  in  this  place  with- 
out offence,  even  the  beloved  Washington.  God 
Almighty  gave  him  to  the  colonies ;  and  in  that  gift 
the  genius  of  liberty,  the  doctrine  of  freedom,  and 


THE   GIFT   OF   A    SAVIOUR.  65 

tlie  spirit  of  enterprise,  that  was  sure  to  result  in 
the  emancipation  of  this  country  from  the  thraldom 
of  tyranny ;  and  he  established  these  states  in  the 
enjoyment  of  all  those  rights  and  privileges,  which 
cannot  at  this  moment  be  enumerated,  though  you 
can  duly  appreciate  them.  This,  then,  was  a  gift 
sent  for  our  preservation,  by  the  great  Giver  of  every 
good  and  perfect  gift;  and,  when  we  contemplate 
the  enjoyments  with  which  we  have  been  blessed  in 
freedom  and  liberty,  we  can  look  up  to  our  Father  in 
heaven,  and  say,  "  God  be  thanked  for  this  bless- 
ing." 

I  will  now  invite  your  attention  to  a  few  histori- 
cal instances  selected  from  scripture,  by  which  this 
same  subject  may  be  illustrated.  First,  I  will  refer 
to  the  history  of  Joseph,  taken  by  the  rude  hands 
of  his  brethren,  who  contemplated  his  total  destruc- 
tion by  death,  but  finally  sold  him  a  slave  into  the 
land  of  Egypt.  Under  the  wisdom  of  Almighty 
God,  however,  he  afterwards  preserved  them.  How 
far  beyond  all  human  calculation  does  he  extend  his 
goodness,  and  through  what  unexpected  mediums 
does  he  bless  mankind !  Look  on  this  son  of  Jacob, 
when  the  rude  hands  of  his  brethren  took  him  out 
6=^ 


66  THE   GIFT   OF   A    SAYIOUR. 

of  the  pit  wliere  they  had  cast  him,  and  sold  him  to 
strangers  travelling  to  Gilead,  and  bade  him  an  ever- 
lasting farewell,  hoping  that  they  never  should  see 
his  face  any  more.  From  this  very  moment  Grod 
Almighty  was  moving  on  in  his  design,  to  send 
Joseph  before  them  into  Egypt,  to  be  their  saviour, 
when  they  should  come  there  themselves.  They 
cruelly  took  the  coat  of  Joseph  and  dipped  it  in  the 
blood  of  a  kid,  and  carried  it  to  their  father,  in 
order  that  he  might  conclude,  in  all  probability,  that 
Joseph  had  been  torn  in  pieces  by  the  wild  beasts. 
When  the  father  looked  upon  the  coat  and  recog- 
nized it,  how  was  his  heart  agonized,  and  with  what 
sorrow  did  he  bemoan  the  loss  of  his  favorite  son ! 
At  the  same  time  was  God  Almighty  giving  this  fam- 
ily Joseph  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  that,  when  the  time 
should  come  when  they  would  be  there  in  want  and 
distress,  he  should  be  there  before  them  to  save  their 
lives.  And  what  did  this  result  in  ?  In  the  tem- 
poral salvation  of  all  the  family.  And  all  the 
unkindness  of  Simeon  and  his  brethren  was  not 
remembered  with  condemnation,  when  Joseph  com- 
municated to  the  family  his  bounty  and  favor. 
Once  more  let  us  refer  to  the  Scriptures.     When 


THE   GIFT   OF   A    SAVIOUR.  67 

the  King  of  Egypt  persecuted  the  Israelites,  and, 
with  an  edict  marked  by  cruelty,  which  reached  the 
heart  of  every  family,  commanded  that  every  male 
child  which  was  born  among  them  should  be  put  to 
death,  God  was  pleased  to  give  to  this  people  a  son : 
"  And  to  them  a  child  was  born,  to  them  a  son 
was  given."  It  was  Moses.  It  was  three  months 
nursed  in  secret  by  its  mother,  and  kept  from  the 
observing  and  vigilant  officers  of  the  crown ;  but 
danger  and  fear  would  not  permit  the  mother  any 
longer  to  keep  it,  and  she  committed  it  to  the  provi- 
dence of  God.  Carefully  she  wrapped  it  up ;  and, 
having  placed  it  in  a  little  bark,  deposited  it  on  the 
margin  of  the  Nile.  She  sent  Miriam,  its  little  sis- 
ter, at  that  time  but  three  or  four  years  of  age,  to 
watch  the  child,  and  see  what  became  of  it.  I  name 
these  small  circumstances  because  they  are  import- 
ant ;  for,  if  a  strong  wind  had  sprung  up,  the  child 
would  have  been  swept  away  ;  or,  if  a  crocodile  had 
got  his  eye  upon  it,  it  would  have  been  swallowed 
up ;  but  the  all-seeing  eye  of  Providence  was  upon 
the  child.  It  was  a  son  given  to  the  house  of 
Israel.  The  little  sister  watched  over  the  child,  and 
at  length  Pharaoh's  daughter  came ;  and  when  she 


68  THE   GIFT   OF   A    SAVIOUR. 

came  tliere  she  heard  a  voice ;  and  when  she 
had  discovered  the  child,  pity  and  compassion  moved 
her  heart  towards  it.  She  appmached  and  took  it 
up,  and  then  was  the  time  for  its  little  sister  to 
speak,  —  "  Shall  I  go  and  call  a  nurse  ?  "  This 
was  agreed  to  at  once ;  and  Miriam  went  and  called 
her  mother  —  the  mother  of  Moses.  A  very  good 
nurse,  to  be  sure ;  but  mark  the  wisdom  and  economy 
of  Providence  in  all  this.  The  mother  was  directed 
to  nurse  it  for  Pharaoh's  daughter ;  and  when  he  was 
sufficiently  nursed,  he  was  brought  up  in  the  court  of 
Egypt ;  he  was  taught  in  all  the  learning  of  the 
court,  which  prepared  him  as  a  suitable  person  to  per- 
form the  great  exploits  he  afterwards  did  perform. 
He  drew  the  house  of  Israel  out  of  the  iron  furnace, 
and  carried  them,  by  the  miracle  of  God,  across  the 
Red  Sea ;  and  there  they  raised  songs  of  praise  to 
their  Father  in  heaven,  while  Miriam,  his  sister, 
and  Aaron,  his  brother,  went  forth  in  the  dance ! 

These  instances,  selected  from  the  history  of  our 
country  and  from  scripture,  serve  as  illustrations  of 
the  form  of  expression,  "  He  was  born  to  us,  he 
was  given  to  us,"  —  that  is,  for  our  benefit;  and  so 
was  Jesus  given  for  the  benefit  of  the  world.     The 


THE   GIFT   OF   A   SAVIOUR.  X)\i 

Scriptures  inform  us  that  "  God  so  loved  the  world 
that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son  for  it."  God  so 
loved  the  Hebrews  that  he  gave  them  Moses ;  and 
this  Moses  says,  "  A  prophet  shall  the  Lord  your 
God  raise  up  unto  you  of  your  brethren,  like  unto 
me;  him  shall  ye  hear."  God  gave  to  the  house  of 
Israel  Joseph,  to  be  their  saviour,  their  deliverer, 
when  they  were  in  trouble  and  distress.  And  give 
me  leave  to  make  one  reflection  upon  this,  —  one 
instructive  reflection,  —  that  the  wickedness  of  Jo- 
seph's brothers  never  operated  as  a  barrier  against 
his  mercy  and  kindness  to  them ;  they  were  all 
made  to  share  his  bounty,  —  they  were  all  made  to 
reap  of  the  crop  he  had  sown ;  and  here  is  a  beauti- 
ful emblem  of  the  divine  character  of  Jesus. 
"  While  we  were  yet  the  enemies  of  Christ,  he  died 
for  us;"  while  we  were  yet  his  enemies,  he  con- 
templated our  salvation;  while  we  were  yet  his 
enemies,  he  was  acting  the  part  of  our  Saviour !  My 
friendly  hearers,  though  sin  be  heinous,  though  it  be 
an  object  of  such  just  hatred  that  every  soul  ought 
to  abhor  it,  yet  we  ought  by  no  means  to  think  that 
it  can  chanoje  the  mind  of  our  unchano;eable  Father 
in  heaven.     We  can  never  say  to  the  grace  of  the 


70  THE   GIFT   OF   A    SAVIOUR. 

Redeemer,  "Thy  ways  have  proceeded  thus  far; 
hitherto  shalt  thou  come,  and  here  thy  proud  waves 
shall  be  stayed."  "  For  where  sin  aboundeth,  grace 
doth  much  more  alDOund;"  and  I  ask  you,  in  the 
case  of  Joseph's  brothers,  though  their  sin  was  red 
as  crimson,  did  not  grace  much  more  abound  ?  Did 
not  his  grace  and  favor  break  down  the  stubbornness 
of  their  hearts ;  and  did  not  he  receive  them,  and  say 
to  them,  "  I  am  Joseph,  thy  brother ;  grieve  not 
yourselves  that  you  did  it,  that  you  sold  me  hither : 
ye  thought  evil  against  me ;  but  God  meant  it  unto 
good,  to  bring  to  pass,  as  it  is  this  day,  to  save 
much  people  alive  "  ? 

Now  I  ask  you  to  consider  this  all-important 
question,  namely,  for  what  purpose  did  God  give  his 
Son  Jesus  to  the  world  ?  I  shall  not  detain  you  long 
on  this  subject ;  yet  I  have  a  design  to  notice  the 
object  which  some  say  God  had  in  giving  his  Son  to 
the  world,  and  to  say  something  as  to  what  I  think 
was  the  true  object.  I  am  apprehensive  —  I  am 
perfectly  satisfied  —  that  there  have  been  doctrines 
entertained  in  the  Christian  church  which  are  not 
tenable;  and  I  will  say  but  little  more  on  those 
points  than  barely  to  bring  them  before  you.     It  is 


THE   GIFT   OF   A   SAVIOUR.  71 

taught  by  doctors  of  divinity  that  Jesus  came  into 
the  world  to  reconcile  an  angry  God  —  an  angry 
God  to  the  world ;  and  they  say,  in  so  many  words, 
that  he  came  to  open  a  way  whereby  we  might  get 
to  God.  Now,  you  will  easily  see  that  this  is  not 
true,  and  that  it  cannot  be  true.  You  will  easily 
see  that,  if  there  were  anything  in  the  way  of  God's 
being  gracious  to  us,  he  would  not  send  his  Son  as 
our  Saviour ;  for  the  act  of  giving  us  Christ  was  an 
act  of  love.  "  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave 
his  only  begotten  Son  for  it."  John  3  :  16.  If  a 
parent  love  a  child  so  well  as  to  give  him  something, 
he  does  not  bestow  that  gift  to  reconcile  himself  to 
the  child,  but  he  may  to  reconcile  the  child  to  himself. 
To  suppose  that  he  gave  it  to  reconcile  himself  to 
the  child,  is  contrary  to  nature,  reason,  and  common 
sense.  And  how  is  it  possible,  if  God  is  the  enemy 
of  mankind,  that  he  should  give  us  his  Son  as  our 
Saviour  ? 

Again,  it  is  represented  that  Christ  came  into  the 
world  to  suffer  and  die  for  us,  instead  of  us ;  and 
that  God  held  out  a  flaming  sword  to  destroy  his 
people  for  their  iniquity,  but  Jesus  interposed  be- 
tween us  and  an  angry  God,  to  suffer  for  us.     What 


72  THE  GIFT   OP   A   SAVIOTTit. 

sort  of  a  doctrine  is  this  ?  Did  God  raise  a  flaming 
sword  against  us  ?  and  did  Jesus  interpose  between 
us  and  the  sword,  to  suffer  for  us  ?  If  this  be  so, 
does  it  not  show  that  Jesus  was  niore  gracious  to  us 
than  the  Father  ?  Yes,  and  there  lies  the  error. 
Now,  this  doctrine  is  not  true.  He  did  not  come 
into  the  world  to  suffer  the  penalty  of  the  law, 
instead  of  us.  If  so,  we  could  sin  without  suffering ; 
but  who  can  do  this  ?  What  sin  can  you  commit, 
without  suffering  a  corresponding  evil  from  it  ? 
Does  not  our  Father  in  heaven  say  he  will  reward 
every  one  according  to  his  works  ?  and  does  not 
Jesus  say,  "  render  to  every  man  according  to  his 
works  "  ?  Matt.  16  :  27.  He  did  not  come  into 
the  world  that  we  might  not  suffer  if  we  commit  sin. 
Sin  and  misery  are  connected  in  the  nature  of 
things ;  and  if  we  sin,  we  must  suffer  for  it.  Says 
the  hearer,  "  You  will  not  deny  that  Christ  bore  our 
sins."  I  know  the  scripture  says  he  bore  our  sins, 
and  it  is  true.  But  these  things  explain  themselves. 
^Mien  Christ  healed  the  sick,  was  he  made  sick 
instead  of  the  sick  man  ?  No,  he  was  not  made 
sick.  That  is  what  is  meant  by  his  bearing  the 
sickness.     He  took  away  the  sins  of  the  people,  but 


THE   GIFT   OF   A    SAVIOUR.  73 

he  was  not  a  sinner  ;  lie  bore  the  sickness  of  those 
whom  he  healed,  but  he  was  not  sick  in  their  stead. 
A  physician  bears  away  the  sickness  of  the  patient, 
but  he  does  not  become  sick  in  his  stead.  And 
Jesus  says  "  that  the  whole  need  not  a  physician, 
but  they  that  are  sick,"  speaking  of  transgressors. 

It  is  believed  in  the  Christian  church,  and  has 
been  for  a  long  time  taught,  that  our  blessed  Saviour 
came  into  this  world  to  save  us  from  going  to  hell ; 
and  it  is  necessary  that  we  look  at  the  view  the 
Orthodox  have  of  this  hell.  They  hold  that  it  is  a 
wretched,  awful  place,  where  the  wicked  suffer  to 
all  eternity.  Do  we  read  anything  of  this  in  scrip- 
ture? No,  nothing  at  all.  Can  we  believe  that 
the  anger  of  the  Divine  Being  has  prepared  such  a 
place  as  our  brethren  the  clergy  talk  about,  for  the 
purpose  of  tormenting  his  creatures  ?  Would  the 
same  God  send  his  Son  into  the  world  to  prevent 
our  going  into  this  place  ?  That  is  building  up 
with  one  hand,  and  pulling  down  with  the  other. 
No,  my  hearers,  it  is  more  like  the  oraft  of  man 
than  the  wisdom  of  God!  The  Scriptures  know 
nothing  about  such  salvation.  Jesus  was  sent  into 
the  world  to  be  our  Saviour ;  and  the  Scriptures^ 
7 


74  THE    GIFT    OF    A   SATIOUR.  | 

i 

explain  this.     God  says  to  Joseph,  speaking  of  the  ! 

child  Jesus,  "  Thou  shalt  call  his  name  Jesus,  for  \ 

he  shall  save  his  people  from  their  sins."     Mark  | 

the  distinction  between  their  being  saved  from  sin,  \ 

and  saved  from  punishnent  if  they  committed  sin. 

Has  not  God  ordained  that  the  wicked  shall  suffer 

for  their  sin  ?     Are  not  our  laws  in  existence  for 

this  purpose  ?     Do  we  not  see  that  the  penal  laws 

of  the  country  sentence  some  to  die  on  the  gallows 

for  their  sin,  while  some  for  then-  wickedness  are 

shut  up  in  the  penitentiary,  and  no  one  can  lead  a 

life   of    wickedness   without    being   wretched    and 

disgraced  ?     Will  you  say  God  does  not  punish  sin 

where  sin  is  ?     The  wrath  of  God  is  revealed — 

that  is  to  say,  will  some  time  or  other  be  revealed  — 

against  all  the  wickedness  and  unrighteousness  of 

man.     It  is  revealed ;  and  we  know,  by  experience, 

by  observation,  and  by  history,  that  sin  has  made 

this  world  miserable ;  and  it  is  recorded  in  scripture 

that  "  the   righteous   shall  be  recompensed  in  the 

earth,  much   more   the   wicked   and   the   sinner." 

Prov.  11 :  31.     This  shows  that  punishment  for  sin 

does  exist ;    and  here  observe  that  Jesus  did  not 

come  into  the  world  to  save  us  from  the  miserable 


THE   GIFT    OF   A   SAVIOUR.  75 

consequences  of  folly,  if  we  will  transgress ;  but  he 
came  with  the  noble  and  glorious  design  of  effecting 
our  salvation  from  behig  shiners.     You  may  take 
a  criminal  who  has  committed  an  offence,  who  has 
been  detected  in  it,   and  who  has  been  convicted 
of  it,  —  you  cannot  save  this  transgressor  of  the 
law  from  punishment,  —  that  is,  lawfully.     But  if 
you  save   him  by  any  means  from  being  a  trans- 
gressor,—  say  a  thief, —if  you  prevent  him  from 
committing  theft,  you  have  wrought  his  salvation, 
and  you  have  done  a  thing  worthy  of  yourselves,  and 
worthy  of  being  approbated  by  the  law;   and  all 
that  God  gave  us  the  ministry  of  Christ  for  was 
the  purpose  of  reconciling  the  world  to  himself,  not 
himself  to  the  world.     My  brethren,  you  will  then 
perceive  that  the  work  and  nature  of  reconciliation 
result  in  this,  —  to  make  a  sinful  world  a  righteous 
world;    and   therefore  it  is  said  by  the   prophet, 
"  He  shall  finish  sin  and  make  an  end  of  transgres- 
sion," Dan.  10  :  24;  and  Christ  says,  "  Repent,  for 
the   kingdom  of  heaven   is   at   hand."     When  he 
preached  the  doctrine  of  repentance  to  his  disciples, 
he  says,  "  Repent,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at 
hand."     And  now  mark  the  language  made  use  of 


76  THE   GIPT    OF   A   SATIOUR. 

by  our  Saviour  to  recommend  repentance  —  "  The 
kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand."  A  sinner  can  no 
more  be  saved  without  repentance,  than  a  sick  man 
can  be  healed  and  have  his  fever  left  upon  him. 
"  "Well,  then,"  says  the  hearer,  "  is  there  any  cer- 
tainty that  this  glorious  work  of  salvation,  for  which 
Christ  came,  will  be  ever  effected  ?  "  My  friendly 
hearers,  when  we  contemplate  the  great  undertaker 
of  this  work,  and  know  that  our  heavenly  Father 
sent  his  Son  for  the  express  purpose  of  saving 
mankind  from  sin,  we  have  no  reason  to  doubt  the 
accomplishment  of  it.  If  it  had  been  the  under- 
taking of  man,  it  might  have  failed ;  but  if  it  be 
the  undertaking  of  God,  it  cannot  fail.  It  certainly 
will  be  carried  into  effect;  and  all  the  powers  of 
heaven  and  earth  were  given  into  the  hands  of  the 
Son,  for  the  glory  and  honor  of  the  Father.  You 
will  grant  that  God  Almighty  made  the  natural  sun 
to  rule  the  day.  It  does  so.  He  made  the  moon 
to  rule  the  night.  It  does  so ;  and  no  philosopher 
or  astronomer  could  discover  that  they  were  made 
for  any  other  purpose  than  that  which  they  answer. 
Then  will  any  person  be  so  bold  as  to  say  that 
when  the  Son  of  God  was  sent  into  the  world  to 


THE    GIFT   OF    A    SAVIOUll.  77 

save  the  world  from  sin,  his  coming  does  not,  and 
will  not,  answer  that  purpose?  Tliis  would  be  rea- 
soning contrary  to  all  reason,  and  drawing  conclu- 
sions contrary  to  all  fair  rules. 

Jesus  was  given  to  the  world  for  this  purpose, 
namely,  to  effect  the  salvation  of  the  world  from  sin. 
He   was    given    to    the   world    to    manifest    God's 
love  to  the  world.     He  was  given  to  the  world  that 
by  his  suffering  he  might  fulfil  all  the  prophecies 
recorded  in  the  Old  Testament ;  —  to  remove  that 
legal  dispensation  which  operated  as  a  wall  of  parti- 
tion between  Jew  and  Gentile ;  so  of  the  twain  — 
that  is,  Jew  and  Gentile  — to  make  one  new  man, 
so  making  peace ;    and  to  preach  the  doctrine  of 
Christianity,  and  to  fix  it  on  a  rock,  that  the  gates 
of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it.    He  was  sent  into 
the  world  to  suffer  patiently,  that  so  he  might  set 
an  example  to  his  disciples.     He  was  sent  into  the 
world  that,  through  his  death  and  glorious  resurrec- 
tion, we  might  be  introduced  into  eternal  life  and 
immortality.     Not    to   constitute    the    doctrine   of 
immortality,  —  not   to   make    it    a   truth ;   it   was 
always  a  glorious  truth,  and  he  came  to  introduce 
believers  to  the  sweet  consolgition  of  eternal  life  and 
7^ 


78  THE    GIFT    OF    A    SAVIOUR. 

immortal  blessedness.  This  is  the  character  of  the 
Son  of  Grod,  that  was  born  to  us,  that  was  given 
to  us. 

And,  in  order  that  we  may  close  this  discourse  in 
a  proper  manner,  let  us  contemplate  how  God  has 
blessed  us.  He  has  given  us  the  natural  sun  to 
enlighten  and  warm  us ;  and  we  ought  to  enjoy  this 
blessing  in  a  manner  honorable  to  God,  as  well  as 
to  the  benefit  of  ourselves.  He  has  given  us  the 
earth,  that  we  might  cultivate  it,  and  increase  the 
fruits  of  it  in  a  manner  useful  and  honorable  to 
ourselves.  He  has  given  us  friends,  that  we  might 
treat  them  in  such  a  way  as  to  improve  ourselves 
and  them ;  and  he  has  given  us  his  dear  Son,  to  be 
a  light  to  lighten  the  Gentiles.  "It  is  a  light 
thing,"  says  God  by  the  mouth  of  his  prophet,  "that 
thou  shouldst  be  my  servant,  to  raise  up  the  tribes 
of  Jacob,  and  restore  the  preserved  of  Israel ;  I  will 
also  give  thee  for  a  light  to  the  Gentiles,  that  thou 
mayest  be  my  salvation  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth." 
Isaiah  49  :  6. 

This  is  the  language  of  the  Saviour's  invitations : 
"  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  to  me  and  drink. 
Come   unto   me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy- 


THE   GIFT   OF    A   SAVIOUR. 


79 


laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest ;  take  my  yoke  upon 
you,  and  learn  of  me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in 
heart ;  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls.  For 
my  yoke  is  easy,  and  my  burden  is  light."  IMatt. 
11:  28—30. 

And,  again,  in  the  context,  "  His  name  shall  be 
called  AA^onderful,  Counsellor,  The  Mighty  God, 
The  Everlasting  Father,  The  Prince  of  Peace.=^ 
Of  the  increase  of  his  government  and  peace  there 
shall  be  no  end."  This  is  recorded  of  the  Messiah; 
this  is  also  the  true  character  of  Jesus.  In  him 
you  have  the  doctrine  of  the  Father  :  love  to  God, 
and  love  to  mankind,  —  mercy,  peace,  pardon  and 
forgiveness,  to  every  transgressor.  We  cannot  be 
his  disciples  mthout  suffering  losses  and  crosses  for 
his  honor.  A  great  many  people,  my  hearers, 
may  be  convinced  of  the  truth  of  the  sentiments 
that  have  been  taught  to  them,  and  yet,  notwith- 
standing, may  reject  the  true  Christian  doctrine ; 
but  what  does  Christ  say  on  this  subject  ?  "  He 
that  is  ashamed  of  me,  and  of  my  words,  in  this 
sinful  and  adulterous  generation,  of  him  will  the 

*SeeNote  A. 


80  THE    GIFT    OP    A    SAVIOUR. 

Son  of  Diuu  be  asliamed,  wlien  he  shall  come  in  the 
glory  of  his  Father,  and  of  the  holy  angels." 

And  this  was  wonderfully  fu'filled  in  the  genera- 
tion in  which  our  Saviour  was  on  earth  ;  for  they 
rejected  him,  and  were  miserably  destroyed  by  the 
Romans,  and  wasted  among  the  nations  of  the  earth ; 
and  similar  calamities  must  ever  await  those  who 
rebel  against  the  wisdom  and  authority  of  God. 
Let  us  improve,  then,  by  this  blessed  gift  of  God ; 
and  let  us  improve  in  imitating  the  character  and 
following  the  doctrine  of  our  blessed  Saviour ;  let 
us  embrace  him  in  spirit,  in  truth,  and  in  love,  to 
his  honor  and  to  his  glory,  and  it  will  certainly 
result  in  our  own  felicity  and  benefit. 


SERMON  V 


Then  will  i  teach    transguessors  thy  ways  ,   and 

SINNERS     SHALL     BE     CONVERTED     UNTO    THEE. Psalm 

51 :  13. 

YoTJ  will  perceive,  by  the  first  words  of  this  pas- 
sage, the  writer  signifies  that  there  was  some  jpre- 
paration  necessary  for  him,  in  order  to  fit  him  for 
the  work  mentioned,  namely,  to  teach  transgressors 
the  ways  of  God.  "  The^i  will  I  teach  transgress- 
ors thy  ways."  This  was  an  indication  that  the 
writer  himself  was  unfit,  in  his  then  present  situa- 
tion, to  teach  transgressors  the  ways  of  God ;  but, 
if  something  was  performed  for  him  by  way  of  pre- 
paration, he  could  enter  upon  this  work.  You  will 
be  good  enough,  my  friends,  to  direct  your  atten- 
tion carefully  to  that  preparation  which  was  neces- 
sary in  order  to  prepare  the  author  of  the  text 
for  this  work.     This   question   is  answered  in  the 


82      ON   TEACHING   THE   WAYS   OF    GOD   TO   MEN. 

context.  He  acknowledges  before  God  his  sins  and 
transgressions,  and  he  uses  a  variety  of  phrases  to 
signify  the  baseness  of  the  moral  character  which  he 
had  formed.  He  then  proceeds  in  a  prayer  to  God 
that  these  transgressions,  this  iniquity,  these  sins, 
might  be  removed ;  and  the  words  which  he  makes 
use  of  are  such  as  follow :  "  wash,"  "  purge," 
"  cleanse ;  "  he  prays  that  he  may  be  washed  from, 
his  sins ;  and  when  this  work  is  done,  when  he  is 
washed  from  his  sins,  when  he  is  purged  from  his 
iniquities,  then,  he  says,  "will  I  teach  trans- 
gressors thy  ways."  He  would  be  prepared  by 
such  a  process.  Without  this  process,  he  was  unpre- 
pared for  such  an  employment. 

The  next  subject  to  which  I  wish  you  to  give 
youi-  attention  is  the  ways  of  God.  "  Then  will  I 
teach  transgressors  thy  icays."  A  man  cannot 
teach  to  others  the  ways  of  God  until  he  knows 
those  ways  himself.  A  man  cannot  teach  to  others 
what  he  himself  is  not  acquainted  with.  The 
prophet  here  prays  that  he  may  be  washed,  cleansed 
and  purged,  from  all  his  sins  and  transgressions,  so 
that  he  may  teach  God's  ways  to  the  transgressor. 
1  wish  to  have  you  carefully  attend  to  what  is  to  bo 


ON    TEACHING    TllL    WAYS    OF    GOD    TO   MEN.      83 

taught.  The  ivays  of  God  are  to  be  taught.  Now, 
my  friends,  keep  your  thoughts  directly  to  the  text, 
and  observe  this  question, —  What  did  the  prophet 
mean  by  the  ways  of  God  which  he  would  teach  to 
transgressors?  There  is  no  doubt  that  he  meant 
this,  naniel}^,  that  he  would  teach  his  ways  in  puri- 
fying and  cleansing  the  transgressor  from  sin  ;  for 
he  had  just  prayed  that  this  work  might  be  done 
for  himself,  and  when  done  for  him,  he  then  would 
(as  he  says  to  God)  teach  the  transgressor  "  thy 
ways."  "Thy  ways"  in  what?  Thy  ivays  in 
purifying  and  cleansing  sinners  and  transgressors 
from  sin  and  transgression.  This  idea  may  be 
represented  by  the  following  simile.  A  man  who  is 
sick  might  say  to  a  physician,  "  Physician,  remove 
my  infirmities,  cure  me  of  these  painful  disorders 
which  rack  my  system,  mitigate  these  pains  with 
which  I  am  tormented,  restore  health  to  me,  and 
then  will  I  teach  other  people,  troubled  with  my 
disorder,  how  to  be  recovered  from  their  complaints, 
how  to  be  cured  of  their  disease,  and  how  they  may 
be  restored  to  health."  I  will  now  bring  you  an 
example  from  the  Scriptures.  You  all  recollect  the 
account  of  Saul  of  Tarsus^  afterwards  Paul  the 


84      ON    TEACHING    THE    WAYS   OF    GOD    TO   MEN. 

apostle  to  the  Gentiles.  Previously  to  liis  conver- 
sion, he  was  enraged  with  madness  and  passion 
against  the  name  of  Christ  and  his  followers.  He 
was  employed  in  persecuting  the  saints,  and  in 
pursuing,  with  all  the  authority  of  the  High  Priest 
of  Jerusalem,  a  scheme  of  oppression  and  persecu" 
lion  against  all  that  called  on  the  name  of  Jesus, 
In  his  own  honest  confession,  he  reports  himself  to 
have  been  one  of  the  basest  of  sinners,  exceedingly 
mad  against  Christianity  ;  and  he  confessed  that  he 
had  done  things  against  the  name  of  Jesus.  Now, 
this  man,  by  the  grace  of  God,  and  of  Jesus  Christ, 
was  converted  to  Christianity,  and  embraced  that 
faith  which  he  had  endeavored  to  destroy.  He  was 
made  a  willing  agent  in  the  ministry  of  the  gospel 
of  eternal  life,  and  went  and  discharged  his  duty  in 
proclaiming  that  gospel  of  Christ  to  the  Gentiles. 
Permit  me  to  observe,  as  an  example  laid  down  in 
my  text  and  context,  that  here  was  a  sinner  cleansed 
from  his  sins  and  converted  to  God.  He  felt  the 
blessing  of  divine  grace  and  mercy  ;  and  this  enabled 
him  to  teach  others,  in  the  same  manner,  the  same 
doctrine,  the  same  love,  the  same  pardon,  which  he 
himself  had  received,  and  had  been  exercised  with. 


ON   TEACHING    THE    WAYS   OF   GOD    TO   MEN.       85 

You  will  perceive  it  would  have  been  utterly  im- 
practicable for  him  previously  to  have  taught  trans- 
gressors the  ways  of  God,  for  he  did  not  know  them 
himself.  He  could  not  be  the  agent  of  God  in  con- 
verting sinners,  that  is,  to  God;  for  he  himself  was 
not  thus  converted ;  but,  all  this  being  done  for  him, 
he  was  enabled  to  assist  others  in  bringing  them  to 
the  knowledge  of  that  grace  which  he  himself  had 
obtained.  What  he  had  to  do  was  very  easy.  He 
had  nothing  to  do,  nothing  to  teach,  nothing  to 
preach,  but  what  he  had  been  instructed  in  himself, 
what  he  had  been  taught ;  and  when  he  had  been 
instructed  in  the  gospel  of  pardoning  mercy,  in  the 
gospel  of  redeeming  grace,  in  the  doctrine  of  salva- 
tion by  Jesus  Christ,  and  after  he  himself  had 
become  a  subject  of  this  pardoning  mercy  and 
forgiving  grace,  how  would  it  answer  for  him  to 
have  thundered  out  the  wrath  of  an  imaginary  god  ? 
How  different  is  this  preaching  from  our  experience ! 
There  we  see  the  evil  trangressor,  the  evil  opposer 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  obtaining  mercy  of  God 
and  forgiveness  of  his  sins :  and  would  it  have  done 
for  him  to  have  preached  everlasting  condemnation 
to  the  persons  around  him  ?  Nothing  could  be  more 
8 


86      ON    TEACHING    THE   WAYS   OF    GOD   TO    MEN. 

discordant  to  the  nature  of  the  thing ;  yet  how  often 
do  we  hear  people  preach  in  this  way  I  "  God  hath 
made  us  able  ministers  of  the  New  Testament^  not 
of  the  letter,  but  of  the  spirit."  Why  not  of  the 
letter  ?  "  Because  the  letter  kiUeth ;  but  the 
spirit  giveth  life." 

Paul  was  not  a  minister  of  death.  Why  not  ? 
Because  he  had  not  received  death.  He  had  re- 
ceived life  from  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  this  was  all  he 
preached.  He  had  received  pardon,  and  this  was 
all  he  had  to  preach.  He  had  been  cleansed  from 
his  sins  by  the  grace  of  the  gospel.  This  is  what 
he  had  to  preach  to  others ;  and  this  is  expressed 
by  David.  When  God  had  washed  him  of  his  sins, 
cleansed  him  of  his  transgressions,  and  had  blotted 
out  his  iniquities,  then  he  could  teach  transgressors 
the  ways  of  God,  and  redeem  them  from  death  by 
washing  them  from  their  sin  and  transgression. 

The  next  thing  to  which  I  will  invite  the  atten- 
tion  of  the  audience  is,  what  is  implied  by  the 
word  "  teach."  "  Then  will  I  teach  transgressors 
thy  ways."  Here,  my  friends,  I  mean  to  take 
advantage  of  the  power  given  me  in  these  words,  to 
correct  what  has  been  the  general  error   in   the 


ON    TEACHING    THE    WATS    OF    GOD    TO    MEN.      87 

Christian  church.  For  this  is  a  part  of  the  duty 
and  labor  of  your  humble  servant,  —  to  correct,  as 
far  as  possible,  certain  injurious  errors,  that  have 
existed  in  the  Christian  church.  But  error  is  to  be 
corrected  by  authority;  and  I  will  correct  it  by 
the  authority  of  the  gospel.  I  wish  to  explain  the 
common  error  that  has  existed  with  respect  to  the 
word  "  teach."  I  will  endeavor  to  do  it  so  as  to  be 
understood.  It  is  a  general  sentiment  of  the  Chris- 
tian church,  which  is  held  by  all  those  who  are 
called  "  orthodox,"  that  the  natural  state  of  man  is 
a  state  of  entire  and  total  depravity,  in  which  he 
possesses  nothing  that  has  the  least  merit ;  that  he 
is  opposed  to  all  that  is  good,  —  naturally  so,  —  and 
inclined  to  all  evil ;  so  that  it  is  impossible  for 
man,  in  this  natural  state,  to  do  anything  that  is 
well  pleasing  to  God,  but  that  he  stands  in  need 
of  a  radical  change  of  nature,  which  is  called  a 
change  from  nature  to  grace.  The  sentiment  sup- 
poses the  very  nature  of  man  is  bad ;  that  he  must 
be  changed  from  that  state  of  nature,  and  become  a 
new  creature,  by  a  new  creation,  in  order  to  inherit 
the  salvation  of  the  gospel.  Now,  if  this  doctrine 
were  true,  the  word  "  teach"  would  have  no  mean- 


88      ON   TEACHING    THE    WAYS   OF    GOD    TO   MEN, 

ing  at  all.  Why  not  ?  Because,  in  teaching,  we 
give  to  those  who  are  taught  no  new  facult}^  no 
new  power,  no  new  ability ;  but  we,  by  teaching, 
operate  only  upon  the  natural  faculties,  powers  and 
minds,  of  those  taught.  Wlien  you  send  your  child 
to  school  to  learn  any  science,  you  do  not  sup* 
pose  that  the  schoolmaster  has,  in  the  first  place, 
to  change  your  child  from  a  state  of  nature  to 
some  other  state,  by  which  he  learns  this  science  ? 
No.  So  far  from  this,  you  expect  that  when  your 
child  goes  to  school,  he  carries  all  the  natural  pow- 
ers which  are  necessary.  And  it  is  only  an  opera- 
tion performed  on  the  abilities,  and  on  the  natural 
understanding,  that  brings  this  child  from  a  state  of 
ignorance  to  a  state  of  knowledge,  —  to  the  knowledge 
of  that  which  he  is  to  learn ;  and  this  is  what  is 
meant  by  teaching.  "  Then  will  I  teoxh  transgress- 
ors thy  ways."  To  teach  a  transgressor,  is  not  to 
change  him  in  relation  to  his  nature ;  but  it  is  to 
inform  him,  to  instruct  him,  to  bring  the  powers 
and  faculties  of  his  mind  into  action,  on  the  subject 
in  which  he  was  before  uninstructed. 

You  will  permit  me  here  to  observe,  that  if  the 
work  of  a  radical  change  were  necessary,  to  talk  of 


ON   TEACHING    THE    WAYS   OF    GOD    TO    MEN.       89 

teaching  transgressors  would  be  conversation  without 
meaning.  But,  according  to  the  text,  transgressors 
possess  all  the  natural  powers,  all  the  abilities,  which 
it  is  necessary  for  them  to  possess ;  they  have  noth- 
ing in  themselves  but  what  is  good  in  its  nature ; 
they  have  nothing  but  what,  in  itself,  and  as  to  its 
nature,  is  right,  and  just  as  it  should  be.  All  that 
is  necessary  for  them  is  to  be  rightly  informed, 
rightly  instructed. 

Having  advanced  so  far,  we  will  go  a  little  fur- 
ther in  this  subject.  My  friends,  it  is  of  importance 
that  we  understand  that  there  is  no  power,  no  abil- 
ity^  no  nature  in  man,  but  what  is  good.  It  is  as 
good  as  it  ought  to  be ;  and,  to  say  that  the  nature 
of  man  is  bad,  is  to  look  directly  up  to  our  Maker, 
and  accuse  him  of  having  done  all  the  evil  mankind 
have  done.  It  is  the  wrong  use  of  our  ability  that 
is  the  cause  of  all  the  wrong  we  are  guilty  of;  not 
the  ability  itself  that  is  wrong.  There  is  no  power, 
there  is  no  ability,  there  is  not  a  passion,  there  is 
not  an  appetite,  there  is  not  an  inclination,  that  is 
bad  in  itself;  nor  one,  my  hearers,  that  we  could  do 
so  well  without  as  with.  All  that  is  necessary  is 
that  they  should  be  rightly  employed,  that  they 
8^ 


90      ON    TEACHING    THE    WAYS    OF    GOD    TO    MEN. 

should  be  governed  with  propriety,  that  we  should 
do  with  them  according  to  the  dictates  of  wisdom, 
of  prudence,  and  understanding.  Do  this,  and  all 
is  right. .  I  have  given  the  hint  already,  and  I  wish 
to  improve  it  a  little,  that  it  is  an  injurious  error 
for  people  to  believe  that  they  have  not  the  power  to 
do  right.  What  an  awful  condition  must  that  person 
be  in  who  believes  that  he  has  not  the  power  to  do 
right !  What  an  awful  situation  would  society  be 
in,  were  your  little  children  caused  to  believe  that 
they  could  not  obey  you!  —  that  they  could  do  no 
one  thing  that  was  pleasing  to  you !  Could  they 
be  placed  in  a  situation  more  dreadful  to  themselves, 
or  more  opposed  to  your  own  feelings?  How  could 
you  look  upon  them,  and  believe  they  were  of  such 
a  temper  and  disposition  ;  and  that  they  were  so 
constituted  in  nature  that  it  was  impossible  for 
them  to  please  you,  do  what  they  would  !  No  situa- 
tion of  mind  can  possibly  be  more  disagreeable  than 
this,  nor  be  attended  with  more  disagreeable  conse- 
quences. And  if  we  teach  men  that  they  can  do 
nothing  to  please  God,  I  ask  you  will  they  try  to 
please  him  ?  Hence  the  necessity  of  having  correct 
views.     Hence  the  necessity  of  being  taught  on  this 


ON    TEACHING    THK    V.AYS    OF    GOD    TO    MEN.      91 


gi^bject  —  of  knowing  well  that  what  is  required  of 
us  is  to  use  our  abilities  in  the  way  that  wisdom 
dictates,  and  all  will  be  well  pleasing  to  God. 

I  am  anxious  to  illustrate  the  doctrine  I  have  laid 
down  in  the  very  language  of  the  gospel.  This 
language  will  satisfactorily  prove  to  you  that  no 
cliange  of  nature  is  necessary  for  the  sinner.  I 
say  no  change  of  nature.  Why?  Because  the 
language  speaks  for  itself,  and  it  is  language  that 
indicates  no  such  thing.  For  instance,  take  the  lan- 
guage of  David  now  before  us.  What  change  in 
nature  does  he  pray  for?  Does  he  pray  to  get 
changed  in  nature  ?  No.  What  does  he  pray  for  ? 
He  prays  God  to  wash  him.  He  says,  wash  me ; 
'purge  me,  cleanse  me.  Now,  what  does  this  lan- 
guage signify  ?  No  change  in  nature.  Washing  does 
not  change  the  nature  of  the  thing  washed  ;  it  only 
makes  that  clean  which  was  before  unclean.  The 
nature  of  the  thing  is  the  same  as  it  was  before. 
The  only  difference  is  that  the  filthiness  is  removed, 
the  uncleanness  is  taken  away,  by  the  process  of 
washing.     This  is  all  David  prays  for. 

I  will  prove  this  position  again,  by  going  into  the 
New  Testament.     The  gospel  represents  the  salva- 


02        ON    TEACIITNG    THE    ^VAYS    OF    GOD    TO    MEN. 

tion  of  a  sinner,  in  the  words  of  our  blessed  Saviour 
himself,  by  such  similes  as  follow  :  "  Which  of 
you,  having  a  hundred  sheep,  if  he  lose  one,  doth  not 
leave  the  ninety  and  nine  in  the  wilderness,  and  go 
after  that  which  is  lost ;  and  when  he  finds  it,  takes 
it  on  his  shoulder,  rejoicing  ;  and  when  he  cometh 
home,  calleth  together  his  friends  and  neighbors,  and 
bids  them  rejoice ;  for  he  hath  found  the  sheep 
which  was  lost."  Here  is  the  representation  of  the 
salvation  of  sinners.  The  sheep,  before  it  went 
away,  was,  of  course,  a  sheep.  After  it  had  gone 
away,  it  was  the  same  creature.  It  was  a  sheep 
when  it  was  found ;  and  when  carried  home  it  was 
a  sheep.  Did  the  sheep  become  a  wolf  or  a  tiger 
by  going  away  ?  No.  It  remained  a  sheep  after 
it  was  gone ;  and,  when  it  was  found  and  returned, 
it  was  still  a  sheep,  as  before.  My  friends,  what 
alteration  of  nature  is  there  in  all  this  process  ?  The 
wanderer  is  brought  back  to  the  place  from  whence 
it  went,  and  is  restored  to  the  flock ;  which  is  all 
the  change  there  was,  and  all  that  was  necessary. 
There  was  no  change  whatever  in  the  nature  of  the 
animal. 

The  next  parable  on  the  same  subject  is,  "  Or 


ON   TEACHING   THE   WAYS   OF   GOD   TO   MEN.      93 

what  woman,  having  ten  pieces  of  silver,  if  she  lose 
one,  will  not  light  a  candle,  and  search  her  house 
diligently  until  she  find  it;  and  when  she  has  found 
it,  calleth  her   friends,  and  rejoiceth."     That  was 
silver  before  it  was  lost ;  it  was  silver  when  it  was 
found ;  and  it  was  silver  when  it  was  restored  to  the 
other  nine  pieces.     Possibly  it  might  have  dropped 
in  the  street,  and  filth  might  have  adhered  to  it ;  — 
there  would  be  no  difficulty  in  rendering  it  clean 
ao-ain,   but   there   was   no   necessity   for   changing 
the  metal.     It  was  good  before  it  was  lost ;  it  was 
good  when  it  was  lost ;  it  was  good  when  it  was 
found  ;  it  was  good  when  it  was  restored.     All  the 
change  that  has  taken  place  is  a  change  of  situation 
or  condition.     There  is  no  change  in  the  nature. 

Immediately  following  this  is  the  memorable  par- 
able of  the  prodigal.  "A  certain  man  had  two 
sons ;  and  the  younger  of  them  said  to  his  father, 
Father,  give  me  the  portion  of  goods  that  falleth  to 
me.  And  he  divided  unto  them  his  living.  And 
not  many  days  after,  the  younger  son  gathered  all 
together,  and  took  his  journey  into  a  far  country, 
and  there  wasted  his  substance  with  riotous  living. 
And  when  he  had  spent  all,  there  arose  a  mighty 


94      ON   TEACHING   THE   "WAYS    OF    GOD   TO   MEN. 

famine  in  that  land ;  and  he  began  to  be  in  want. 
And  he  went  and  joined  himself  to  a  citizen  of  that 
country  ;  and  he  sent  him  into  his  fields  to  feed 
swine.  And  he  would  fain  have  filled  his  belly  with 
the  husks  that  the  swine  did  eat ;  and  no  man  gave 
unto  him.  And  when  he  came  to  himself,  he  said," 
&c.  It  seems  he  had  been  wandering  in  a  kind  of 
delirium.  "  He  came  to  himself;"  and  the  moment 
he  came  to  himself  he  remembered  how  many  hired 
servants  his  father  had,  "  who  had  bread  enough, 
and  to  spare  ;  while  he  was  perishing  with  hunger." 
He  therefore  forms  this  resolution :  "I  will  arise 
and  go  to  my  father,  and  will  say  unto  him,  Father, 
I  have  sinned  against  heaven  and  before  thee,  and 
am  no  more  worthy  to  be  thy  son ;  make  me  as  one 
of  thy  hired  servants."  No  sooner  was  the  reso- 
lution formed,  than  it  was  executed.  It  was  formed 
on  his  coming  to  himself.  He  went  towards  his 
father's  house  ;  and  his  father  saw  him  a  great  way 
oflf,  and  knew  him,  and  had  compassion  on  him, 
and  ran  to  meet  him.  He  heard  his  confession,  but 
he  replied  in  no  way  to  the  confession.  He  gave 
command  immediately,  "  Bring  the  best  robe  and  put 
it  on  him  ;  put  shoes  on  his  feet,  and  my  ring  upon 


ON    TEACHING    THE    WAYS    OF    GOD   TO   MEN.      95 

his  finger;  kill  the  flitted  calf,  and  let  there  be 
music  and  dancing."  Now,  what  change  of  nature 
was  there  in  this  case  ?  This  was  a  son  before  he 
went  away.  AYas  he  not  a  son  before  he  went 
away  ?  Yes.  When  he  came  to  himself,  was  there 
any  change  in  his  nature  ?  No.  When  he  formed 
the  resolution  to  go  home,  there  was  a  change  of 
mind,  view,  thought,  or  idea;  but  there  was  no 
change  of  nature.  And  as  it  is  said  that  man  lost 
the  image  of  God  by  transgression,  let  me  ask,  is 
there  any  indication  of  it  here  ?  This  son  did  not 
lose  the  image  of  his  family  by  going  abroad ;  for  it 
eeems  the  father  knew  him  a  great  way  off.  He  was 
then  the  image  of  the  father,  the  same  as  when  he 
went  away.  The  father  saw  his  son's  eyes,  heard  his 
own  voice,  thought  of  his  son,  and  had  compassion 
on  him ;  he  did  everything  that  was  necessary  for 
him ;  and  when  the  father  was  complained  of  by  the 
elder  brother  for  receiving  him  in  this  kind  and 
affectionate  manner,  his  answer  is  most  admirable. 
"  It  was  meet  that  we  should  make  merry  and  be 
glad ;  for  this  thy  brother  was  dead  and  is  alive,  was 
lost  and  is  found."  Is  there  any  change  of  nature^ 
my  hearers,  represented  by  this  parable  ?     None ; 


96      ON    TEACHING   THE    WAYS   OF    GOD    TO   MEN. 

nothino;  is  represented  but  a  chano'e  of  condition,  a 
change  of  situation,  a  change  of  circumstances. 

Now,  will  jou  listen  to  the  words  of  God  by  the 
prophet  ?  Speaking  of  the  vilest  of  sinners,  he  says, 
"  Wash  you,  make  you  clean."  Does  this  change  the 
nature  ?  "  Wash  you,  make  you  clean,  put  away  the 
evil  of  your  doings  from  before  my  eyes."  "  Cease  to 
do  evil,  and  learn  to  do  well."  This  is  learnmg,  and 
the  best  of  learning.  "  Then  will  I  teach  transgress- 
ors thy  ways,  and  sinners  will  be  converted  unto 
thee."  "  Then  will  I  pour  clean  water  upon  you,  and 
ye  shall  be  clean."  The  apostle  Paul  makes  use  of 
an  expression  which  ought  to  be  remembered : 
"  Husbands,  love  your  wives,  even  as  Christ  loved 
the  church,  that  he  might  sanctify  and  cleanse  it, 
by  washing  of  water  with  the  word."  Again,  what 
is  recorded  in  the  Revelations  ?  "  Unto  him  that 
loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own 
blood."  My  friends,  washing  never  signifies  chang- 
ing the  nature  of  the  thing  washed,  but  it  signifies 
cleansing  the  thing  that  is  unclean. 

Again  :  "  And  I  will  send  the  messenger  of  the 
covenant,  whom  ye  delight  in.  But  who  may  abide 
the  day  of  his  coming  ?  for  he  is  like  a  refiner's  fire, 


ON   TEACHING   THE   WAYS   OF   GOD   TO   MEN.      97 

and  like  fuller's  soap."  Now,  what  does  a  refiner's 
fire  do  ?  Does  it  change  the  nature  of  the  metal  ? 
No.  It  separates  the  dross  from  the  metal.  And 
what  does  the  fuller's  soap  do  ?  Does  it  change  the 
nature  of  the  thing  to  which  it  is  applied  ?  No. 
Such  language  is  the  current  language  of  divine 
inspiration.  And  in  not  one  of  these  passages  is 
there  a  word  said  about  changing  the  nature  of  the 
being ;  but  only  changing  the  condition  and  circum- 
stances of  it. 

I  ask  your  attention,  my  friends,  in  the  third 
place,  to  the  concluding  words  of  the  text,  "  And 
sinners  shall  be  converted  unto  thee."  Now,  I  ask 
you  what  is  meant  here  by  "  conversion  "  ?  What 
is  generally  believed  is  what  I  have  already  noticed ; 
that  is,  a  change  of  nature,  —  not  a  change  of 
state,  not  merely  information,  not  instruction,  but  a 
radical  change  of  nature.  I  will  bring  you  several 
passages  where  this  word  is  used.  At  a  certain 
time  the  disciples  wished  to  know  "  who  should  be 
the  gi-eatest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Jesus  calls 
to  him  a  little  child,  and  sets  this  little  child  in  the 
midst,  and  says,  Unless  you  be  converted  and  become 
as  little  children,  ye  shall  not  enter  into  the  kingdom 
9 


98      ON    TEACHING    THE   WAYS   OF    GOD   TO   MEN'* 

of  heaven."  Now,  little  children  are  certainly  in  a 
state  of  simple  natui-e ;  and  if  the  disciples  were  con- 
verted and  brought  back  into  the  state  of  simple 
nature,  they  would  be  fit  to  enter  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.  And  our  Saviour  gives  another  testimony 
of  this ;  for  he  says  directly,  with  respect  to  little 
children,  "  For  of  such  are  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 
If  little  children  were  totally  depraved,  would  it  be 
necessary  for  older  people  to  become  converted  into 
their  state,  —  that  is,  into  a  state  of  total  depravity, 
—  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God  ?  The  mean- 
ing might  be,  that  if  the  hearts  of  men  were  brought 
back  to  the  state  of  little  children,  then  they  would 
be  fit  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven ;  and  that  mean- 
ing would  be  just  right,  just  what  every  rational 
being  would  naturally  suppose. 

Another  place  where  the  word  "  converted  "  is 
used  is  where  our  blessed  Saviour  spoke  to  Peter  : 
"  When  thou  art  converted,  strengthen  thy  breth- 
ren/' Now,  "  conversion  "  there  could  not  be  a 
change  of  nature ;  for  Peter  had  experienced  what 
the  New  Testament  calls  "regeneration"  before 
that.  Once  more,  from  the  apostle  James: 
^*  Brethren,  if  any  of  you  do  err  from  the  truth, 


ON    TEACniNQ    THE   WAYS   OF    GOD    TO    MEN.      99 


and  one  convert  him,  let  him  know  that  he  which 
converteth  the  sinner  from  the  error  of  his  way  shall 
save  a  soul  from  death,  and  shall  hide  a  multitude 
of  sins."  Now,  observe  the  apostle  sajs,  *'  If  any 
of  you  do  err  from  the  truth,  and  one  convert  him." 
A  man  cannot  err  from  the  truth,  unless  he  is  in  it ; 
and  when  in  it,  if  he  errs  from  it,  he  may  be  con- 
verted to  truth,  —  "  then  let  him  know  that  he 
that  converteth  the  sinner  has  saved  his  soul  from 
death."  Observe,  one  who  has  been  in  the  truth  and 
has  erred  from  it  may  stand  in  need  of  truth,  — 
may  stand  in  need  of  conversion  ;  but,  being  restored 
to  truth  again,  what  does  this  do  ?  Why,  it  saves 
his  soul  from  death;  that  is,  the  death  of  sin. 

My  brethren,  to  improve  our  subject  to  advan- 
tage, let  us  all  remember  that  we  are  by  nature  such 
beings  as  God  would  have  us ;  and  that  all  the  sin 
that  attaches  to  us  results  from  the  misapplication 
of  the  abilities  and  faculties  that  God  gave  us.  I 
would  encourage  you  in  this,  because  I  would  not 
have  natural  society  so  much  disgraced  as  to  have 
it  supposed  that  mankind,  while  blessed  with  reason 
and  understanding,  though  in  a  state  of  simple 
nature,  are  not  able  to  do  right.     If  this  error  is 


100      ON   TEACHING    THE  WAYS    OF    GOD   TO   MEN. 

removed  from  your  minds,  what  is  to  prevent  you 
from  following  the  religion  of  Jesus?  But  how 
awfiil  is  it  to  believe  that  we  are  all  by  nature 
opposed  to  God,  and  God  to  us ;  and  that  we  are 
incapacitated  to  do  the  will  of  our  heavenly  Father. 
It  would  be  as  wrong  to  say  this,  as  for  me  to  come 
into  your  families  and  teach  your  children  that  it 
was  not  in  their  power  to  do  your  pleasure ;  as  if  I 
should  tell  your  little  ones,  "  Children,  you  are  in 
an  awful  situation  !  It  is  not  in  your  power  to  do 
one  thing  to  please  your  parents,  unless  you  are 
made  over  again  !  Your  parents  are  fiill  of  wrath 
and  vengeance  ;  and,  if  they  find  you  in  your  present 
condition,  they  will  destroy  you  in  a  moment."  0, 
horrible  !  It  would  be  beyond  description  horrible  ! 
It  is  doubly  horrible  to  teach  the  great  family  of 
mankind  that  we  never  can  do  anything  to  please 
our  Father  in  heaven.  And,  my  hearers,  I  beseech 
you  to  banish  from  your  thoughts  such  a  belief,  from 
the  present  moment ;  and  always  remember  that  all 
God  requires  of  you  is,  "  To  deal  justly,  love  mer^, 
and  to  walk  humbly  before  him." 


SERMON    YI 


And  might  perfect  that  which  is   lacking  in  youb 
FAITH.  —  1  Thessalonians  3  :  10. 

The  apostle   expressed   a  fervent   desire   to   be 
present  with  his  brethren,  to  whom  he  wrote  this 
epistle,  that  he  might  perform  this  kind  office  for 
them,  namely,  to  perfect  what  was  lacking  in  their 
faith.     Our  text  supposes  that  those  to  whom  he 
wrote  had  received  the  true  faith  of  the  gospel ;  but, 
at  the  same  time,  that  they  had  not  the  benefit  of 
this  faith  in  its  perfection.     They  had  attained  it 
only  in  a  degree ;  and  it  was  necessary  for  them  to 
pursue  their  studies  and  contemplations  regarding 
that  faith  which  they  possessed  in  the  gospel,  as  it 
is  necessary  for  people  to  pay  strict  attention  to  the 
study  of  any  science,  in  order  to  become  perfected  in 
it.     Our  text   by  no   means   allows  the  common, 
vulgar  notion,  among  certain  Christians,  that  a  per- 
son becomes  perfected  in  the  faith  of  the  gospel  all 
9^ 


102  RELIGION    A    PROGRESSIVE   WORK. 

in  a  moment ;  and  knows  as  much  as  he  is  ever  to 
know  by  one  instantaneous  act,  which  they  call 
conversion. 

All  knowledge  is  obtained  by  degrees ;  all  wisdom 
is  obtained  by  close  application;  and  there  is  a 
growth  in  gTace,  also,  and  in  the  knowledge  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  as  improper  for  a  profess- 
or of  Christianity  to  suppose  that,  because  he  has 
entered  the  school  of  Jesus  Christ,  he  is  perfected  In 
the  divine  science  of  the  religion  of  our  Saviour,  as 
it  would  be  for  a  child,  sent  to  school,  the  moment 
he  enters  that  school  to  fancy  he  knows  as  much  as 
the  preceptor.  Yet,  my  friendly  hearers,  you  will 
often  find  it  to  be  the  case,  in  Christian  churches, 
that  when  one  joins  the  church  he  joins  it  full- 
grown  in  size ;  he  knows  all  that  he  is  ever  to  be 
taught.  He  knows  the  creed,  or  says  he  knows  it ; 
and  that  is  all  he  is  to  know,  because  he  is  never 
allowed  to  know  more.  The  confession  of  faith,  laid 
before  the  catechumen,  contains  the  truth,  and  noth- 
ing but  the  truth ;  and  nothing  more  is  he  allowed 
to  learn  but  what  is  contained  in  that.  He  knows 
as  much  the  first  day  as  he  is  to  know  forever ;  and 
I  name  these  things  because  they  are  directly  op- 


RELIGION    A    PROGRESSIVE   WORK. 


103 


posed  to  my  text.  My  text  supposes  that  Christians 
may  be  imperfect  in  their  faith,  and  stand  in  need 
of  this  office  being  done  them,  —  namely,  to  perfect 
them  in  their  faith. 

Another  observation  seems  to  be  necessary  here, 
namely,  that  it  is  not  charitable  for  us  to  condemn 
one  another  because  we  do  not  all  exactly  agree  in 
the  knowledge  we  have ;  for  this  condemnation 
prevents  the  enjoyment  of  the  privilege  of  learning: 
and  if  scholars  were  treated  in  this  way  in  schools, 
because  they  did  not  all  know  as  much  as  the 
schoolmaster,  and  if  the  schoolmaster  should  turn 
your  dear  little  children  out  of  his  school  because 
they  did  not  know  as  much  as  he  did,  when  would 
they  learn  ?  They  were  sent  there  to  learn  ;  but, 
if  they  are  treated  in  this  way,  they  never  will  learn. 
But  how  often  is  it  that  the  Christian  brethren  will 
hold  no  communion  with  a  person  unless  he  holds 
all  the  dogmas  they  do !  Perhaps  he  will,  if  they 
give  him  time  to  learn  ;  but  how  is  he  to  do  it  with- 
out ?  Throw  away  all  these  partialities,  my  friendly 
hearers,  and  consider  you  are  all  the  children  of  God; 
and  as  many  as  wish  to  learn  in  the  school  of  the 
blessed  Redeemer  go  to  school  together,  and  have 


104  RELIGION    A    PROGRESSIYE    AVORK. 

Christ,  not  man,  for  jour  master,  and  then  you  will 
all  advance  in  knowledge  together. 

Having  made  these  introductory  remarks,  I  shall 
proceed  to  show  that,  according  to  some  particulars, 
there  is  such  a  thing  as  real  believers  not  believing 
all  that  is  necessary  for  them  to  believe.  There  is 
such  a  thing  as  Christians  coming  very  far  short  of 
that  knowledge  necessary  for  them.  And  the  first 
particular  case  which  I  shall  mention  is  that  of  St. 
Peter.  I  have  not  time  to  say  much  with  regard 
to  the  character  of  Peter ;  but  it  is  evident  that, 
before  the  death  of  his  Master,  he  had  obtained  a 
knowledge  of  Christ,  and  of  the  religion  of  Christ ; 
yet  there  were  some  things  which  Peter  did  not 
believe  at  that  time,  which  he  certainly  believed 
afterwards.  You  will  recollect  our  Saviour  indicates 
that  all  his  apostles,  or  disciples,  had  followed  him  in 
the  regeneration.  These  are  his  words  :  "  You  who 
have  followed  me  in  the  regeneration,"  &c.  Now, 
you  must  perceive  that  those  who  followed  him  in 
the  regeneration  did  not  believe  that  he  would  die 
upon  the  cross,  though  he,  told  them  he  should. 
They  did  not  believe  he  would  die,  and  rise  again, 
though  he  told  them  so ;  and,  when  the  event  took 


RELIGION    A    PROGRESSIVE   WORK. 


105 


place,  they  all  forsook  him,  and  they  expected  all 
their  hopes  were  gone  forever.  After  the  resurrec- 
tion of  our  Lord  Jesus,  he  did  not  abandon  them ; 
he  did  not  excommunicate  his  apostles,  or  his  dis- 
ciples, because  they  did  not  sooner  exercise  fliith  in 
what  he  had  told  them ;  but  he  went  directly  to 
them,  and  gave  them  ocular  demonstration  of  the 
truth  of  what  he  had  said. 

If  we  would  treat  our  brethren  in  this  way,  it 

would  be  much  better  for  us.     But  what  do  we  do, 

instead?     If  one  will  not  believe  all  that  others 

believe,  or  profess  to  believe,  they  never  will  let  him 

have  an  opportunity  of  knowing  what  he  ought  to 

believe ;  for  they  excommunicate.     But  Jesus  went 

to  the  unbelieving  Thomas,  and  said,  "  Reach  hither 

thy  hand,  and  thrust  it  into  my  side ;  and  be  not 

faithless,  but  believing."    This  is  very  different  from 

excommunication.    He  gave  the  unbelieving  Thomas 

all  the  evidence  he  wanted,  and  brought  him  to  cry 

out  "My  Lord  and  my  God !"     Such  a  spirit  in 

the  Christian  church  would  work  a  miracle  in  our 

age ;  it  would  convert  thousands ;  whereas  that  cold 

temper,  which  excommunicates  every  brother  and 


106  RELIGION   A   PROGRESSIYE    WORK. 

Bister  who   does   not   comprehend  what   others  do, 
destroys  all  peace  and  happiness. 

But  now  the  disciples  became  believers,  and  Peter, 
as  well  as  Thomas,  believed.  Peter,  from  this  time, 
followed  his  Master  penitentiallj ;  and  on  the  day 
of  Pentecost  you  hear  this  faithful  servant  of  our 
Lord  preaching  with  the  tongue  of  divine  love, 
speaking  all  languages,  and  communicating  the 
wonderful  work  of  God  in  the  resurrection  of  his 
child  Jesus  from  the  dead;  and  this  circumstance 
resulted  in  the  conversion  of  more  than  three  thou- 
sand souls  in  one  day!  Was  not  Peter  then  per- 
fected in  his  faith  ?  Did  he  not  know,  on  the  day 
of  Pentecost,  as  much  as  was  necessary  for  him  to 
know  ?  No !  He  had  a  lesson  after  this,  in  the 
gospel,  that  taught  him  more  than  all  that  he  had 
learned  before.  You  will  read  it  in  the  tenth  chap- 
ter of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  You  there  find 
that  the  angel  of  the  Lord  went  to  a  centurion, 
named  Cornelius,  and  told  him  to  send  to  Joppa  and 
call  one  Simon  Peter.  While  the  messengers  were 
going  after  Simon  Peter,  Peter  went  up,  about  the 
hour  of  prayer,  to  the  house-top,  to  pray ;  and  he 
became  very  hungry,  and  would  have  eaten;  but, 


RELIGION    A    PROGRESSIVE    WORK.  107 

while  they  made  ready,  he  fell  into  a  trance,  and 
saw  heaven  opened,  and  a  certain  vessel  descending 
unto  him,  as  it  had  been  a  great  sheet,  knit  at  the 
four  corners,  and  let  down  to  the  earth,  wherein 
were  all  manner  of  four-footed  beasts  of  the  earth, 
and  wild  beasts,  and  creeping  things,  and  fowls  of 
the  air :  and  there  came  a  voice  from  heaven,  say- 
ing, "  Rise,  Peter  ;  kill  and  eat."     Now,  Peter  had 
been  brought  up  and  educated  a  Jew ;  and  the  Jew- 
ish rites  forbade  him  to  eat  of  anything  that  was 
unclean.     In  this  vessel  there  were  things  that  were 
unclean,  as  well  as  clean ;  and  Peter  replies,  accord- 
ing to  his  education,  "  Not  so,  Lord ;  for  nothing 
common  or  unclean  hath  at  any  time  entered  into 
my  mouth."    Here  he  resisted  the  command  of  God, 
and  contended  for  the  prejudices  of  his  education ; 
and  he  continued  to  resist  the  word  of  the  Lord. 
How  remarkable  it  is  that  a  man  will  acknowledge 
the  word  of  God,  but  will  not  give  up  the  prejudices 
of  his  education !     Now,  mark  the  answer  that  is 
given  from  heaven  to  Peter:    "What  God  hath 
cleansed,  that  call  not  thou  common."     This  was 
done  thrice,  and  the  vessel  was  received  up  again 
into  heaven. 


108  RELIGION   A    PROGRESSIVE    WORK. 

I  have  liere  to  remark  to  you  that  all  which  Peter 
thought  was  unclean  was  taken  up  into  heaven ;  and 
he  says  he  saw  it  come  down  from  thence.  He 
could  not  perceive,  when  it  came  from  heaven,  that 
what  comes  from  heaven  must  be  pure ;  but  it 
came  down  from  heaven,  and  it  returned  to  heaven 
again.  "  Now,  while  Peter  doubted  in  himself 
what  this  vision  which  he  had  seen  should  mean, 
behold,  the  men  which  were  sent  from  Cornelius  had 
made  inquiry  for  Simon's  house,  and  stood  before 
the  gate,  and  called,  and  asked  whether  Simon,  which 
WHS  surnamed  Peter,  was  lodged  there.  While 
Peter  thought  en  the  vision,  the  spirit  said  unto 
him,  Behold,  three  men  seek  thee ;  arise,  therefore, 
and  get  thee  down,  and  go  with  them,  doubting 
nothing,  for  I  have  sent  them."  Accordingly,  Peter 
went  with  them,  not  without  some  embarrassment, 
but  considerably  improved  in  mind ;  and  when  he 
entered  the  house  of  Cornelius,  you  know  with  what 
tender  attention  he  treats  him.  He  says  to  the 
people  that  were  come  together,  "  Ye  know  how 
that  it  is  an  unlawful  thing  for  a  man  that  is  a  Jew 
to  keep  company  with  or  come  unto  one  of  another 


RELIGION   A   PROGRESSIVE   WORK.  109 

nation ;  but  God  hath  showed  me  that  I  should  not 
call  any  man  common  or  unclean." 

Now,  we  have  a  great  many  among  us  who  have 
not  learned  so  much  as  Peter;  but  we  do  not 
give  them  up.  We  have  given  them  some  lessons 
of  Christianity ;  but  they  must  continue  to  learn, 
and  know  that  they  are  not  to  call  any  man  un- 
clean ;  and  they  must  learn  that  Jesus  gave  himself 
a  ransom  for  all  men  to  be  testified  in  due  time,  that 
they  might  thereby  be  cleansed.  But  we  have  no 
disposition  to  forbid  them  the  privileges  of  the 
church.  Let  them  have  all  the  privileges  of  the 
school ;  for  the  more  ignorant  they  are,  the  more 
they  are  in  need  of  instruction.  I  would  here  ob- 
serve that  the  other  disciples  of  Jesus  were  just  in 
the  situation  of  Peter,  before  they  learned  this ;  for 
you  learn  in  the  11th  chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles  that  they  were  called  Christians.  And 
when  Peter  is  summoned  to  an  account  by  his  brethren 
for  going  among  uncircumcised  people,  with  all  calm- 
ness possible  he  heard  their  complaint,  and  with 
his  native  simplicity  he  related  the  whole  of  his 
vision,  and  concluded  with  these  very  words: 
"What  was  I,  that  I  could  withstand  God?" 
10 


110  RELIGION    A    PROGRESSIVE   WORK. 

His  brethren  did  not  then  say  to  him,  "  Peter,  if 
you  are  of  opinion  that  Gentiles  are  fit  objects  for 
this  salvation,  we  will  excommunicate  you ; "  but 
they  glorified  God,  saying,  "  Then  hath  God  also 
the  Gentiles  granted  repentance  unto  life."  This 
was  the  first  time  they  knew  this.  These  were  the 
first  tidings  they  had  of  it ;  and  now  they  learned 
that  the  Scriptures  were  to  be  a  light  to  lighten  the 
Gentiles.  These  are  facts  recorded  in  Scripture 
calculated  to  illustrate  the  subject  before  us ;  and 
showing  that  the  Christian  should  grow  in  grace,  and 
improve  in  knowledge,  in  order  to  be  perfect. 

Now,  I  ask  your  attention  to  another  circum- 
stance,—  to  the  vision  of  Ezekiel  of  the  holy 
waters.  He  informs  us  that  the  angel  that  waited 
on  him  measured  out  a  thousand  furlongs  and  led 
him  into  the  waters,  and  the  waters  were  up  to  his 
ankles.  I  wUl  say  a  word  or  two  as  to  the  applica- 
tion of  this.  We  shall  suppose,  if  Ezekiel  had 
stopped  here  and  gone  no  further,  but  returned 
with  this  experience,  he  could  only  have  given  us 
an  account  of  these  waters  which  he  had  seen. 
Would  he  have  supposed  that  these  waters  were 
fordable?     AVhy,  certainly.     He  had  travelled  in 


RELIGION   A   PROGRESSIVE   WORK. 


Ill 


them  a  thousand  furlongs,  and  had  only  found  that 
the  water  was  up  to  his  ankles.  Suppose  another 
person  should  have  told  him  that  that  water  was  too 
deep  for  a  man  to  wade  in,  —  he  would  have  contra- 
dicted it.  But  this  was  not  the  case.  He  was 
favored  still  further.  The  angel  measured  it  an- 
other thousand  furlongs,  and  there  it  was  up  to  his 
knees ;  and  the  third  time  the  angel  measured,  it 
was  up  to  his  loins ;  and  there  was  a  fourth  time 
the  angel  measured  it,  and  then  what  does  Ezekiel 
say  ?  "  And  it  was  a  river  that  I  could  not  pass 
over,  for  the  waters  were  risen ;  waters  to  swim  in, 
—  a  river  that  could  not  be  passed  over."  He  did 
not  know  all  this  at  once.  It  was  only  up  to  his 
ankles,  at  first.  He  travelled  further,  and  it  was 
up  to  his  knees.  He  went  still  further,  and  it  was 
up  to  his  loins ;  and  still  further,  and  found  that  it 
was  a  river  which  he  could  not  pass.  Here,  then, 
is  the  propriety  of  continuing  in  our  march ;  not 
stopping  and  disputing  on  the  margin  about  some 
little  pebble-stones  we  may  find  there,  and,  as 
thousands  do,  deny  that  this  river  has  become  risen 
waters,  and  suppose  that  they  can  pass,  and  go  be- 
yond it.     Thousands  think  that  the  opposite  shore 


112  RELIGION   A   PItOQKESSIVE  WORK. 

is  within  their  reach,  and  that  they  can  go  beyond 
this  river ;  but  Ezekiel  travelled  in  it  until  he  saw 
no  man  could  pass  it ;  and  Paul  has  this  passage  of 
Scripture  directly  in  point,  —  "  Where  sin  abounded, 
grace  did  much  more  abound."  Hence,  we  may 
now  say,  "  Where  sin  aboundeth,  grace  doth  still 
much  more  abound."  This  is  different  doctrine 
from  what  many  Christians  entertain.  We  con- 
demn nobody  for  it.  We  do  not  expect  them  to 
believe  in  the  ftdness  of  the  gospel  until  they  have 
travelled  in  it. 

One  word  more,  and  then  I  have  done  upon  this 
subject.  I  will  call  your  attention  very  particularly 
to  the  peculiar  and  singular  circumstances  attending 
the  resurrection  of  Lazarus.  When  Lazarus  was 
taken  sick,  his  two  dear  sisters,  Martha  and  Mary, 
who  were  both  believers  in  Christ,  sent  immediately 
for  Jesus  ;  and  this  was  the  message  sent,  —  "  He 
whom  thou  lovest  is  sick,"  meaning  Lazarus.  At 
that  time  Jesus  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  river 
Jordan.  He  did  not  go  immediately,  but  he  staid 
there  until  Lazarus  died.  He  did  not  come  where 
Lazarus  lay  until  four  days  after  he  had  been  dead. 
After  this,  he  came  with  his  disciples  to  the  place. 


RELIGION   A   PROGRESSIVE   WORK.  113 

When  he  came,  Martha,  full  of  grief  and  sorrow, 
says,  "  Lord,  hadst  thou  been  here,  my  brother  had 
not  died."     Do  you  perceive,  Martha  did  not  believe 
he  had  the  power  to  raise  him,  when  he  was  once 
dead  ?     But  there  was  another  thing  indicated  in 
these   words,   "Lord,   hadst   thou  been   here,  my 
brother  would  not  have  died ; "  namely,  this,  —  "  You 
have  come  too  late.     I  might  have  had  a  brother 
now  living,  had  you  come  in  season ;  but  the  season 
is  past,  the  opportunity  is  gone,  and  I  am  destitute 
of  a  brother  and  a  friend !  "     Says  Jesus,  "  Where 
have  you  laid  him  ? "  and  advances  to  the  sepulchre. 
Then  she  exclaims  again,  "  Lord,  by  this  time  ho 
stinketh ;  for  he  hath  been  dead  four  days."     Now, 
there  is  something  very  peculiar  in  this.     It  indi- 
cates, in  the  first  place,  that  she  believed  and  rea- 
soned within  herself   thus :    "  If  Jesus  had  been 
here,  my  brother  would  not  have  died."     In  the 
second  place,  "  If  he  had  come  before  corruption 
had  commenced,  he  might  have  raised  him  from  the 
dead."     All  this  can  be  clearly  seen  ;  for  the  mo- 
ment he  asked  where  the  body  lay,  she  immediately 
thought  he  was  going  to  attempt  his  resurrection. 
When,  as  it  seems,  she  granted  that  he  might  have 
10# 


114  RELIGION    A   PROGRESSIVE   WORK. 

been  raised,  if  it  had  been  attempted  sooner,  as  she 
had  ■  probably  seen  Jesus  exercise  similar  power  on 
others ;  but  now,  she  thinks,  it  is  too  late,  —  it  has 
been  so  long  delayed,  that  his  resurrection  is  impos- 
sible. She  had  gone,  in  fact,  to  the  ne  plus  ultra 
of  her  faith.  She  sets  it  down  as  a  lost  case,  be- 
cause corruption  had  begun;  and  she  says,  "  Lord, it 
is  too  late  for  the  power  of  resurrection  to  bring  him 
forth."  There  sat  the  glory  of  heaven,  in  all  the 
lustre  of  his  pure  holiness  ;  and  with  the  voice  of 
heaven  he  said,  "Lazarus,  come  forth!"  Now 
Martha  was  convinced  of  one  fact,  which  she  never 
conceived  possible  before.  She  was  now  couvincied 
that  corruption  itself  was  no  barrier  to  the  power 
of  her  Lord  and  Master.  Her  faith  is  perfected ; 
but  she  seemed  to  step  along  until  the  jx)wer  of  res- 
urrection stopped  her,  and  then  her  living  brother 
stood  before  her. 

I  name  these  things  that  I  may  communicate  to 
you,  my  hearers,  this  one  idea :  "  When  people  are 
setting  bounds  to  the  mercy  of  Jesus  Christ,  they 
are  only  telling  us  how  little  they  know,  —  that 
their  faith  is  weak ;  but,  if  they  attend  to  these  cir- 
cumstances and  their  consequences,  generally  all 
that  will  be  found  wanting  is  not  wanting  in  the 


I 

L 


EELIGION    A    PROGRESSIVE    WORK.  115 

grace  of  God,  but  in  rightly  understanding  the 
expression,  "  Growing  in  grace  and  knowledge."  Do 
not  suppose  you  know  enough.  "Do  not  suppose  you 
have  learned  all  that  there  is  to  learn.  Do  j^ou  not 
know  that  the  most  ignorant  people  are  always  the 
most  knowing  in  their  own  estimation?  Yes. 
Then  be  careful  not  to  fail  in  that  particular.  The 
way  to  know  things  is  to  investigate  them.  Do  not 
be  afraid  of  investigating  everything,  and  inquiring 
into  the  cause  and  effect  of  everything.  By  these 
means  you  will  learn  ;  and  you  will  be  surprised  to 
see  that  so  many  religious  people  have  so  long  con- 
tinued to  believe  what  some  old  popes  and  cardinals 
have  taught  them.  You  may  be  mortified  that  you 
have  not  learned  the  truth  before ;  but  that  is  no 
matter.  Humble  yourselves  before  God,  and  listen 
to  that  testimony  which  will  enable  you  to  grow  in 
grace.  Do  not  grow  in  contention  or  animosity 
among  each  other ;  do  not  grow  in  a  spirit  of  re- 
venge or  retaliation  towards  your  enemies ;  but  walk 
honestly,  uprightly  and  peaceably,  and  may  God 
Almighty  bless  you,  and  cause  your  goings  forth  to 
be  like  the  morning,  —  like  a  morning  without 
clouds,  which  shineth  brighter  and  brighter  unto 
the  perfect  day ! 


SEEMON  VII. 


But    I    CERTIFY    TO    YOU,     BRETHREN,    THAT    THE    GOSPEL 
WHICH    WAS    PREACHED    OF    ME    IS    NOT   AFTER  MAN. 

Galatians  1  :  11. 

A  SYSTEM  of  doctrine  which  is  according  to  man 
must,  of  necessity,  have  its  origin  in  the  wisdom  of 
man,  —  must  partake  of  the  peculiar  qualities  which 
distinguish  man ;  and,  of  necessity,  in  all  respects 
wherein  man  deviates  from  his  Maker,  that  doctrine 
which  he  shall  produce  will  deviate  from  the  doc- 
trine which  had  its  origin  in  God,  and  which  the 
wisdom  of  God  has  produced.  The  apostle  consid- 
ered it  of  importance  that  he  should  certify  his 
brethren  that  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  was  not 
after  man ;  that  is  to  say,  it  was  not  the  production 
of  the  "  wisdom  of  this  world,"  that  cometh  to 
naught.  It  was  not  fashioned  according  to  the  pe- 
culiarities of  imperfect  man ;  but  his  sentiment  is 
evidently  this,  —  that  the  gospel  which  was  preached 


r- 


CHARACTERISTICS   OF   THE   GOSPEL.  117 

by  Christ  was  the  production  of  the  wisdom  of  God ; 
and  was  fashioned,  in  all  respects,  according  to  the 
mind  of  God. 

I  shall  attempt,  my  friends,  to  show  you  three 
peculiar  characteristics  of  the  doctrine  of  man, 
which  will  always  prove  to  your  understandinga 
that  any  doctrine  which  partakes  of  any  of  these 
three  characteristics,  or  all  of  them,  certainly  is  not 
from  God,  but  is  the  production  of  human  invention. 
In  opposition  to  doctrines  of  this  description,  an 
attempt  will  be  made  to  illustrate  the  doctrine  of 
God  as  dissimilar,  in  all  respects,  from  the  doctrines 
of  men;  and  to  discover  it  to  have  the  qualities 
of  God,  and  of  God  alone. 

The  peculiar  characteristics  which  are  always  dis^ 
coverable  in  false  doctrine  are  the  following : 

1.  iTWonsistervcy.  A  doctrine  that  is,  and  must 
be,  communicated  in  terms  which  indicate  contradic- 
tion and  inconsistency,  bears  on  the  face  of  it  the 
peculiar  characteristic  which  proves  it  to  be  the 
production  of  human  wisdom,  and  not  the  produc- 
tion of  God.'  There  is  no  doctrine  ever  produced 
by  the  wisdom  of  this  world  that  does  not  bear  this 
characteristic ;    and  it  is  certain  that  no  doctrine 


118  CHARACTERISTICS   OF   THE   GOSPEL. 

which  is  inconsistent  with  itself  is  the  doctrine  of 
God. 

2.  Partiality  marks  all  the  false  doctrines  that 
are  in  the  world,  or  ever  were  in  the  world ;  and 
partiality  always  proves  a  doctrine  to  be  false,  and 
not  from  God.  For  certainly  no  doctrine  that 
is  partial  can  be  the  production  of  divine  wisdom  ; 
for  that  is  described  by  St.  James  thus,  "  The  wis- 
dom that  is  from  above  is  first  pure,  then  peaceable, 
gentle,  and  easy  to  be  entreated,  full  of  mercy  and 
good  fruits,  without  partiality,  and  without  hypoc- 
risy." But,  my  friends,  when  you  hear  a  doctrine 
preached,  and  declared  to  be  directly  from  heaven, 
examine  it  with  caution ;  and,  if  it  partake  of  par- 
tiality, set  it  down  to  be  false,  and  attribute  it  to 
the  wisdom  of  the  world,  which  cometh  to  naught, 

3.  TJiimerciful  wrath.  And  this  is  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  description  that  distinguishes  and  marks 
all  the  doctrines  of  the  world,  all  the  systems  of 
men,  and  proves  them  to  be  not  of  God,  but  of  the 
wisdom  of  the  world,  that  cometh  to  naught. 

Inconsistency,  partiality,  and  uinherciful  crU' 
elty  !  Put  these  three  together,  and  they  prove  a 
doctrine  to  be  false,  and  not  of  God. 


CHARACTERISTICS    OF   THE   GOSPEL.  119 

I  will  now  ask  your  attention  to  a  few  observa- 
tions which  may  be  made  upon  certain  tenets  that 
have  been  looked  upon  as  essential  articles  of  the 
Christian  faith,  and  so  essential  as  to  be  absolutely 
indispensable ;  without  which,  we  are  told,  we  deny 
the  Christian  faith,  and,  therefore,  are  not  worthy 
to  be  called  Christians.  What  are  these  ?  I  will 
bring  forward  a  clause  from  the  Westminster  Cate- 
chism ;  with  profound  reverence,  however,  and  hon- 
or to  the  memory  of  those  who  framed  it,  for  their 
labors  and  their  learning,  as  well  as  for  their  piety ; 
but  with  no  respect  for  their  errors,  no  honor  for 
falsehood.  It  is  perfectly  right  to  try  their  creed 
by  the  standard  of  reason,  by  the  standard  of  the 
word  of  God  ;  and  we  have  a  right  to  try  it  by  the 
standard  of  itself.  If  it  be  an  inconsistent  creed,  it 
is  false  ;  if  it  be  a  partial  creed,  it  is  false ;  and  if  it 
be  an  unmerciful  creed,  it  is  false  :  and  if  it  have 
all  these  characteristics,  it  is  unworthy  the  faith  of 
believers  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

The  sentence  I  shall  recite  to  you  is  in  answer 
to  this  question  :  "  Into  what  estate  did  the  fall 
bring  mankind  ?  A.  All  mankind,  by  the  fall,  lost 
communion  with  God;  fell  under  his  wrath  and 


120  CHARACTERISTICS   OF   TUE   GOSPEL. 

curse,  and  so  were  made  liable  to  all  the  misery  of 
this  life,  to  death  itself,  and  to  the  pains  of  hell  for 
ever."  "  Is  not  that  true  ? "  says  the  hearer.  "  Is 
not  that  the  fact  ?  "  We  will  not  be  in  haste  to 
answer.  We  are  trying  to  see  if  it  be  true  or  not. 
I  will  now  rehearse  to  you  the  very  next  answer  in 
the  Catechism.     It  is  to  this  question  : 

"  Q.  Did  God  leave  all  mankind  to  perish  in  this 
state  of  sin  and  misery  ? 

^^A.  God,  of  his  mere  good  pleasure,  from  all 
eternity,  elected  some  — "  you  will  recollect,  my 
hearers,  if  you  please,  the  word  "5o^e;" — "all 
mankind  "  were  contained  in  the  fii-st  answer  I  read 
to  you ;  now,  the  word  "  some"  is  brought  forward 
—  "  elected  some  to  everlasting  life  ;  did  enter  into 
a  covenant  of  grace,  to  deliver  them  out  of  a  state 
of  sin  and  misery,  and  bring  them  into  a  state  of 
salvation  by  a  Redeemer."  Now,  have  I  not  pre- 
sented you  with  the  foundation  of  inconsistency,  of 
partiality,  and  of  unmerciful  cruelty  ?  Have  not  I 
presented  to  you,  in  that  creed,  all  those  character- 
istics ?  Yes,  my  friends,  if  God  did,  from  all  eter- 
nity, elect  some  to  everlasting  life,  were  that  "some" 
erer  made  liable  to  the  pains  of  hell  forever  ?    Your 


CHARACTERISTICS   OF   TflE   GOSPEL.  121 

good  sense  says,  at  once,  "  If  they  were  elected,  from 
all  eternity,  to  salvation,  they  were  not  liable  to  the 
pains  of  hell  forever." 

But  these  doctors  of  divinity  seem,  in  the  same 
breath,  to  say  that  some  are  and  have  been  elected, 
from  ill  eternity,  to  everlasting  life  ;  whereas,  they 
have  declared  that  all  mankind,  by  the  fall,  were 
liable  to  the  pains  of  hell  forever !  Is  that  con- 
sistency or  inconsistency  ?  It  is  inconsistency.  It 
is  a  contradiction;  it  is  a  proof  positive  that  it  is  not 
of  the  wisdom  of  God,  but  of  the  wisdom  of  man. 
After  they  had  stated  that  all  mankind  were  in  one 
condition,  they  then  come  forward  and  state  that 
God  elects  some  of  the  number  to  everlasting  life. 
I  ask,  is  not  that  partiality  ?  It  is  partiality,  or  it 
is  impossible  for  language  to  describe  partiality.  Is 
this  the  language  which  the  divine  wisdom  makes 
use  of,  in  treating  of  the  same  subject  ?  The  fram- 
ers  of  the  Catechism  were  speaking  of  the  covenant 
of  grace,  and  say,  "  God  from  all  eternity  elected 
s(ym€  to  everlasting  life,  and  entered  into  a  covenant 
of  grace,  to  deliver  them,"  &c.  When  God  Al- 
mighty preached  the  covenant  of  grace  to  Abraham, 
did  he  use  such  language  ?  No ;  but  he  says,  "  In 
11 


122  CHARACTERISTICS   OF   THE    GOSPEL. 

blessing  I  will  bless  thee,  and  in  multiplying  I  will 
multiply  thee ;  and  in  thee  shall  all  the  nations  of 
the  earth  be  blessed."  You  see  the  difference  of 
the  language.  God  says  all  the  nations  of  the  earth 
shall  be  blessed ;  these  divines  say  some  !  Can  you 
persuade  yourselves  that  the  subject  these  divines 
had  under  consideration  was  the  same  as  that  which 
Almighty  God  had  in  view  when  he  made  this 
promise  to  Abraham  ?  No  ;  their  language  differs 
so  much,  that  you  would  suppose  the  subjects  must 
differ.  Is  this  not  believed  in  the  Christian  church, 
and  is  it  not  made  such  an  article  of  faith  that  the 
Christian  fellowship  must  be  denied  for  want  of  it, 
namely,  that  thousands  and  millions  of  the  human 
family,  the  offspring  of  God,  must  be  banished  from 
his  favor  and  his  love  to  all  eternity,  and  suffer 
indescribable  torment  as  long  as  God  or  the  world 
exists  ?  Yes.  If  that  is  not  unmerciful  cruelty ^ 
my  hearers,  what  is  ? 

Now,  these  three  peculiar  characteristics  certainly 
discover  themselves  in  that  creed.  I  admonish  you, 
by  the  force  of  this  argument,  that  you  never 
receive  such  creeds  yourselves,  nor  suffer  them  to 
be  taught  to  your  children.      Reconcile  that  creed 


CHARACTERISTICS   OF    THE   GOSPEL. 


123 


with  consistency,  reconcile  it  with  impartiality,  rec- 
oncile it  with  the  boundless  grace  of  our  Lord  and 
Saviour,  and  then  receive  it.  But,  if  this  be  impos- 
sible, as  your  own  sense  will  tell  you,  then  reject  it. 
If  you  have  taught  such  a  creed  to  your  tender 
offspring,  God  pardon  you,  and  save  you  from  repeat- 
ing the  enormity ! 

We  might  investigate  other  peculiarities  and  con- 
tradictions in  the  doctrines  of  men,  but  it  seems  to 
be  unnecessary ;  for  you  will  find  in  them  nothing 
but  a  tissue  of  contradictions  ;  and  it  is  exceedingly 
mortifying,  to  a  man  of  sense  and  feeling,  to  be  told, 
by  men  who  preach  such  contradictions,  that  they 
are  "  mysteries."  They  are  mysteries  of  iniquity, 
my  hearers.  Contradiction  is  not  the  mystery  of 
the  gospel.     It  is  the  mystery  of  iniquity  ! 

And  now  permit  me  to  leave  the  doctrines  of 
men,  and  dwell  on  a  theme  that  is  infinitely  more 
sweet  and  lovely.  Let  me  recommend  to  you  the 
doctrine  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  gospel  of 
your  salvation,  a  system  perfectly  free  from  incon- 
sistency, entirely  free  from  partiality,  and  contain- 
ing in  itself  nothing  like  unm<jrciful  cruelty.  In 
the  first  place,  that  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus 


124  CHARACTERISTICS    OF   THE   GOSPEL, 

Christ  is  destitute  of  partiality,  will  be  seen  by  the 
language  which  is  recorded  in  the  Scriptures.  Hear 
the  prophet  Isaiah  :  "In  this  mountain  shall  the 
Lord  of  hosts  make  unto  all  people  a  feast  of  fat 
things,  a  feast  of  wines  on  the  lees ;  of  fat  things 
foil  of  marrow,  of  wines  on  the  lees  well  refined. 
And  he  will  destroy  in  this  mountain  the  face  of 
the  covering  cast  over  all  people,  and  the  vail  that  is 
spread  over  all  nations.  He  will  swallow  up  death 
in  victory  ;  and  the  Lord  God  will  wipe  away  tears 
from  off  all  faces ;  and  the  rebuke  of  his  people 
shall  he  take  away  from  off  all  the  earth."  —  25  : 
6,  8. 

My  friends,  is  it  possible  that  divine  wisdom 
would  make  use  of  such  language  as  this  to  repre- 
sent that  God  had  elected  some  ?  No.  "  In  this 
mountain  shall  be  unto  all  a  feast  of  fat  things." 
You  will  read  language  that  corresponds  with  what 
I  have  just  cited,  from  the  same  inspired  writer, 
"  It  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  last  days,  that  the 
mountain  of  the  Lord's  house  shall  be  established 
in  the  top  of  the  mountains,  and  shall  be  exalted 
above  the  hills ;  an^  all  nations  shall  flow  unto  it." 
—  2:2.     "Why  shall  all  flow  unto  it  ?      Because 


I 


CHARACTERISTICS    OF   THE   GOSPEL.  125 

"  a  feast  of  fat  things "  is  there  prepared  for  all. 
The  same  inspired  writer  says,  speaking  on  the 
theme  of  grace  divine,  "  Ho,  every  one  that  thirst- 
eth,  come  ye  to  the  waters,  and  he  that  hath  no 
money;  come  ye,  buy  and  eat;  yea,  come,  buy 
wine  and  milk  without  money  and  without  price. 
Wherefore  do  ye  spend  money  for  that  which  is  not 
bread,  and  your  labor  for  that  which  satisfieth  not  ? 
Hearken  diligently  unto  me,  and  eat  ye  that  which 
is  good,  and  let  your  soul  delight  itself  in  fatness." 

55  :  1,  2.    Is  not  such  language  as  this  evidently 

designed  to  communicate  the  idea  of  impartiality  ? 
Yes,  it  surely  is. 

Now,  look  at  the  language  of  the  New  Testament. 
Read  what  our  blessed  Saviour  has  done  for  the 
world  in  his  suffering  and  death,  and  compare  that 
with  the  language  made  use  of  in  the  creed  we  have 
noticed.  St.  Paul,  writing  to  Timothy,  exhorts  as 
follows  :  "  I  exhort,  therefore,  that  first  of  all, 
supplications,  prayers,  intercessions,  and  giving  of 
thanks  be  made  for  all  men  ;  &r  kings,  and  for  all 
that  are  in  authority;  that  we  may  lead  a  quiet  and 
peaxjeable  life  in  all  godliness  and  honesty ;  for  this 
is  good  and  acceptf^We  in  the  sight  of  God  our 
1\^ 


126 


CHARAGTERISTICS   OF   THE   GOSPEL. 


Saviour,  who  will  have  all  men  to  be  saved  and, 
come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  triith^  This  is  the 
same  God  to  whom  the  divines  had  referenee  when 
they  said  that  "  God  elected  some  "  /  And  now  hear 
what  the  inspired  writer  sajs,  —  "Who  will  have  all 
men  to  be  saved,  and  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
truth ;"  and  he  renders  the  follov.ing  reason  for  so 
saying  :  "  There  is  one  God,  and  one  Mediator,  the 
man  Christ  Jesus,  who  gave  himself  a  ransom  for 
ALL."  — 1  Tim.  2  :  1,  6.  Tliis  is  the  same  blessed 
Mediator  to  whom  these  divines  alluded  when  they 
said,  "  God  entered  into  a  covenant  of  grace  to 
deliver  some  from  a  state  of  salvation  by  a  Redeem- 
er" The  same  apostle  says  again,  "  We  see  Jesus, 
who  was  made  a  little  lower  than  the  angels  for  the 
suffering  of  death,  crowned  with  glory  and  honor, 
that  he  might  taste  death  for  every  man."  —  Heb. 
2:9.  The  beloved  disciple,  whose  soul  was  sweet- 
ened by  its  intimacy  with  the  lovely  Jesus,  has  his 
creed,  "  If  an)r  man  sin,  we  have  an  advocate  with 
the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the  righteous,  who  is  the 
propitiation  for  our  sins ;  and  not  for  oui-s  only,  but 
aJso  for  the  sins  of  the  lohole  world."  How  differ* 
ent  this  is  from  the  word  "  soTTie  "  / 


CHARACTEEISTICS   OF   THE   GOSPEL. 


127 


Agreeably  witli  this,  we  read  in  the  prophecy  of 
Isaiah,  "  All  we,  like  sheep,  have  gone  astray ;  we 
have  turned  every  one  to  his  own  way,  and  the 
Lord  hath  laid  on  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all.  He 
was  wounded  for  our  transgressions  ;  he  was  bruised 
for  our  iniquities;  the  chastisement  of  our  peace 
was  upon  him ;  and  with  his  stripes  we  are  healed." 

—  53:5,6.  Can  you  gather  anything  from  this  lan- 
guage of  divine  inspiration  that  indicates  inconsist- 
ency, partiality,  or  cruelty  ?  No.  Now  look  at  the 
consistency  of  this  doctrine  with  the  works  of  God ; 

—  how  perfectly  does  it  harmonize  with  the  univer- 
sal providence  of  Grod  !  Here,  also,  we  may  see  the 
beauty,  excellence  and  divinity,  of  this  doctrine. 
The  doctrine  of  universal  grace  corresponds  with  the 
kindness  of  our  heavenly  Father,  in  all  his  ways,  in 
all  his  works,  and  in  all  his  providence.  How  im- 
partial are  the  rays  of  the  sun !  How  impartial  are 
those  genial  showers  that  call  forth  and  ripen  the 
fruits  of  the  earth  for  the  use  of  man  !  How  im- 
partial are  the  fountains  and  rivei-s  that  flow  through 
our  thousands  of  hills  and  valleys,  to  water  the  face 
of  the  earth  for  the  blessing  of  man  and  beast! 
When  we  look  into  the  wisdom  of  God,  and  the 


128  CHARACTERISTICS   OF   THE   GOSPEL. 

boundless  favor  of  his  universal  providence,  how 
grateful  ought  we  to  feel  for  such  goodness !  When 
we  look  into  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  we  are 
doubly  inspired  with  love  to  our  Maker.  "We  there 
find  that  the  gospel  corresponds  with  all  his  works 
in  nature ;  and  we  see  that  the  universal  goodness  of 
God  is  as  impartial  in  the  grace  of  the  gospel  as  it 
is  in  nature.  They  are  equally  dispensations  of  his 
blessings  to  the  creatures  which  he  has  made.  This 
doctrine  harmonizes  with  the  very  law  of  heaven. 
Hear  the  commandments  which  God  gave :  "  Thou 
shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  with 
all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  strength  ;  and  thou 
shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.  On  these  two 
commandments  hang  all  the  law  and  the  prophets." 
Here,  my  hearers,  the  doctrine  of  divine  grace  cor- 
responds with  the  universality  of  this  command. 
No  human  being  can  yield  obedience  to  this  law, 
without  being  blest  to  the  full  extent  of  his  capac- 
ity. 

Look  at  the  temper,  spirit  and  disposition,  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  was  "  the  brightness  of  his 
Father's  glory,  and  the  express  image  of  his  per- 
son, and  learn  if  there  be  any  such  thing  as  incon- 


CHARACTERISTICS   OF   THE   GOSPEL. 


129 


sistency,  partiality  or  cruelty,  in  what  he  teaches. 
What  was  the  language  of  that  man  —  the  Son  of 
God  —  on  the  cross  ?  He  had  at  that  time  exerted 
against  him  all  the  cruelty  which  the  malice  of  his 
enemies  could  instigate ;  and,  in  that  situation,  what 
was  the  language  of  our  Saviour  ?  "  Father,  for- 
give them;  for  they  know  not  what  they  do !  "  This 
is  the  spirit  of  the  religion  of  Christ.  This  is  the 
spirit  of  the  doctrine  of  the  gospel  which  he 
preached ;  and  God  can  no  more  be  changed  from 
that  to  wrath  and  enmity  towards  his  creatures,  than 
the  sun  can  be  changed  from  the  brilliancy  which 
his  glorious  rays  emit  to  a  flood  of  darkness ;  for 
God  is  unchangeably  the  same. 

We  are  told  that  the  blessed  Saviour,  who  came 
into  the  world  not  to  condemn  the  world,  but  that 
the  world  through  him  might  be  saved,  will,  at 
jHK)ther  time,  be  clothed  with  the  garment  of 
vengeance  and  wrath ;  will  tread  down  his  enemies 
beneath  his  feet,  and  sink  them  to  everlasting  tor- 
ment. 0,  my  hearers,  then  is  his  goodness  over- 
come, indeed!  Then,  at  last,  will  the  cross  on 
which  he  suffered  become  the  curse  of  those  whom 
he  died  to  save.     And  he  who  suffered  for  our  sina 


180  CHARACTERISTICS    OF   THE   GOSPEL. 

on  the  tree  of  death  will  condemn  us,  when  on  the 
throne  of  God,  to  everlasting  misery!  What  a 
detraction  is  this  from  the  dignity,  the  glory,  and 
the  gi'ace  of  God !  "  Moreover,  the  law  entered, 
that  the  offence  might  abound ;  nevertheless,  where 
sin  abounded,  grace  doth  much  more  abound  ;  that, 
as  sin  hath  reigned  unto  death,  so  might  grace  reign 
through  righteousness  unto  eternal  life,  by  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord."  —  Eom.  5  :  20,  21. 

"  I  certify  you,  brethren,  that  the  doctrine  which 
is  preached  by  me  is  not  after  man ;  "  and  as  man 
did  not  contrive  it,  but  invented  a  different  doctrine, 
in  the  spirit  of  his  own  creed  he  will  abuse  the  doc- 
trine of  heaven,  and  call  it  not  of  God,  and  he  will 
endeavor  to  stigmatize  all  those  who  profess  it.  He 
will  hold  up  his  own  creed  in  preference  to  the 
creed  of  heaven,  and  his  own  wisdom  in  preference 
to  the  wisdom  of  the  Almighty ;  but,  my  hearers, 
you  are  called  upon  to  exercise  the  reason  and  un- 
derstanding which  God  has  given  you,  to  judge  care- 
fully and  impartially  on  these  subjects.  Decide  for 
yourselves.  Independent  of  the  force  of  education, 
of  the  influence  of  superstition  and  bigotry,  search 
the  Scriptures,  to  see  if  these  things  are  so.     Re- 


CHARACTERISTICS   OF   THE   GOSPEL.  131 

member  this,  my  beloved  friends :  If  you  are  blessed 
with  the  belief  of  God's  universal  impartial  good- 
ness, be  cautious  that  you  conform  to  the  principles 
of  it ;  and  do  not  profess  only,  but  conform  to  this 
doctrine,  and  live  agreeably  to  it.  Be  impartial 
and  kind  to  your  fellow-creatures ;  act  upon  the  no- 
ble principle  of  your  faith  ;  observe  the  doctrine  of 
God  our  Saviour,  and  observe  the  harmony  of  the 
language  of  the  inspired  apostle,  —  "  The  grace  of 
God,  which  bringeth  salvation  to  all  men,  hath  ap- 
peared, teaching  us  that  we  should  live  soberly, 
righteously  and  godly,  in  this  present  world." 

May  God  give  you  grace  and  wisdom,  that  you 
may  improve  by  all  you  have  heard,  live  to  his  glory 
on  earth,  and  be  prepared  to  dwell  with  him  in  an 
eternity  of  bliss  ! 


SERMON  VIII. 


The  wicked  shall  be  ttiiined  into  hell,  aud  all  thb 

NATIONS   THAT   FOEGET  GOD. Psalm  9  :    17. 

The  attention  of  this  Christian  audience  will  be 
directed  to  the  subject  under  consideration  with  a 
peculiar  motive.  To  understand  the  true  significa- 
tion and  import  of  these  words,  my  friends,  is  it 
not  reasonable  even  for  our  opposers  to  suppose  that 
we  are  as  much  interested  as  any  people  can  be  ? 
Would  they  suppose  that  we  have  adopted  the  senti- 
ments which  we  believe  without  a  careful  reference 
to  all  such  passages  of  Scripture  as  the  one  under 
consideration  ?  And  can  they  persuade  themselves 
to  believe  we  have  adopted  our  sentiments  without 
being  able  to  satisfy  ourselves  upon  such  subjects  ? 
If  they  reasoned  correctly  on  this  subject,  their 
conclusion  would  be  far  otherwise ;  but  they  have, 
no  doubt,  satisfied  themselves  that  the  right  manner 
in  which  to  explain  this  passage  is,  that  the  ever- 


HELL   THE   PUNISHMENT   OF   SIN. 


133 


lasting  and  interminable  punishment  of  the  wicked 
in  the  world  to  come  is  taught  by  it.  The  usual 
practice  is  (a  few  excepted)  for  them  not  to  hear 
how  we  understand  these  words ;  they  do  not  give 
us  an  opportunity  of  explaining  these  subjects  in 
their  houses  of  worship,  nor  do  they  allow  their 
congregations  the  privilege  of  hearing  for  them- 
selves how  these  things  are  understood  by  us.  As 
it  respects  ourselves,  our  thoughts  of  God,  our 
thoughts  of  eternity,  are  quite  as  weighty,  quite  as 
full  of  solemnity,  to  us,  as  they  can  be  to  any  peo- 
ple in  the  world.  We  cannot  satisfy  ourselves  by 
giving  the  Scriptures  a  sort  of  cant ;  by  inventing 
for  them  a  peculiar  turn,  in  order  to  give  them  force 
and  pungency.  No,  —  we  have  no  such  disposition. 
We  value  our  happiness  too  highly  for  this.  If 
there  is  any  testimony  in  scripture  against  the  doc- 
trine we  have  adopted,  we  desire  to  know  where  it 
is;  we  desire  to  understand  the  true  sense  and 
meaning  of  it ;  and  if  it  be  of  sufficient  authority 
to  disprove  the  doctrine  we  profess,  there  is  no  peo- 
ple more  deeply  interested  in  knowing  such  scrip- 
ture than  we  are.  On  the  one  hand,  the  speaker 
ehall  by  no  means  allow  himself  to  pass  over  one 
12 


134 


HKLL   THE    PUNISHMENT   OF   SIN. 


point  slightly ;  on  the  other,  the  hearer  shall  not 
be  allowed  to  make  less  or  more  of  any  particulaf 
point  of  the  text  than  the  text  maies  of  itself, 
when  compared  with  the  scriptures  on  the  same 
subject.  I  have  one  more  remark  to  make  before  I 
proceed,  and  that  is  by  way  of  caution.  I  would 
caution  you  against  the  influence  of  prejudice.  You 
all  know  that  it  is  highly  improper  for  a  person  to 
sit  as  a  judge  in  a  case,  where  he  has  prejudged 
that  case.  It  is  highly  improper  for  him  to  act  as 
a  judge,  if  he  is  to  allow  prejudice  to  decide  the 
case  when  tried.  I  therefore  ask  you  to  lay  aside 
all  prejudice  with  respect  to  the  passage  now  under 
consideration.  It  has  been  usually  considered  that 
this  passage  signifies  never-ending  torment  in  the 
world  to  come.  But  this  evening,  at  the  commence- 
ment, I  humbly  ask  you  to  lay  that  opinion  aside, 
and  say,  within  your  own  minds,  "  We  will  examine, 
we  will  look  at  the  subject,  and  see  if  anything  else 
is  the  meaning."  This  is  the  fair  way  of  investi- 
gating any  subject ;  and  let  your  opinion  and  judg- 
ment be  formed,  when  you  have  heard  what  may  be 
offered.  I  will  suggest  a  method  which  may  con- 
tribute to  assist  you  in  the  course  we  may  pursue. 


HELL   THE   PUNISHMENT   OF    SIN. 


135 


I  will,  in  the  first  place,  lay  before  you  the  com- 
mon meaning  attached  to  this  subject. 

In  the  second  place,  I  will  attempt  to  disprove 
that  meaning,  and  to  show  that  such  a  construction 
cannot  be  admitted. 

I  shall,  in  the  third  place,  I  trust,  by  God's  help, 
show  the  genuine  signification. 

I  shall  say  but  little  on  the  first  head,  because 
that  is  well  understood.  "The  wicked  shall  be 
turned  into  hell,  and  all  the  nations  that  forget 
God."  Hell,  in  this  sentence,  is  understood  by  most 
people  to  be  a  state  beyond  this  state  of  mortality ; 
that  God  has  prepared  and  constituted,  with  all  the 
necessary  ingredients  of  misery  and  torment,  a  place 
wherein  to  render  the  wicked  indescribably  wretched, 
and  wretched  for  ever  and  ever.  This  sentiment  is 
the  common  sentiment  of  the  Christian  church,  and 
almost  all  denominations  make  use  of  this  text  in 
this  way.  Preachers  from  the  pulpit  declare  this 
sentiment,  either  from  the  scripture  under  consider- 
ation, or  from  other  passages  of  the  same  sort,  which 
they  apply  in  the  same  way ;  and  they  are  in  the 
constant  habit  of  threatening  their  hearers  with  ter- 
rible destruction,  with  an  eternity  of  misery,  as  I 


136 


HELL   THE   PUNISHMENT   01"   SIN. 


have  just  noticed.  Take  your  families,  and  go  to 
the  house  of  God  for  the  purpose  of  worship.  You 
feel  grateful  for  the  blessings  of  Providence.  In 
going  to  the  sanctuary  for  the  purpose  of  paying 
homage  to  the  Deity,  in  room  of  having  God's  graee 
manifested  and  revealed  through  Jesus  Christ,  the 
awful  denunciations  and  curses  of  everlasting  wrath 
and  vengeance  are  poured  out  upon  you  and  your 
children.  People  are  rendered  wretched,  and  they 
go  home  with  the  impression  that  very  few  of  them 
can  escape  this  everlasting  torment.  I  will  appeal 
to  the  good  sense  of  this  congregation  to  bear  me 
witness  that  I  have  not  attempted  to  give  the  sense 
of  these  words  any  color  not  belonging  to  them.  I 
have  not  displayed  the  least  ingenuity  to  harrow  up 
your  feelings.  I  have  said  nothing  as  to  what  is 
going  to  take  place  hereafter.  I  have  said  nothing 
about  tearing  companion  from  companion,  child  from 
father  and  mother,  brother  from  sister,  or  sister  from 
brother ;  I  have  said  nothing  about  cutting  asunder 
those  sweet  ligaments  that  bind  society  together.  I 
have  by  no  means  attempted  to  excite  your  feelings 
with  such  a  description  of  the  meaning  of  these  words 
as  I  have  already  mentioned.     Let  those  do  these 


HELL   THE   PUNISHMENT   OF    SIN. 


137 


things  wlio  believe  the  doctrine ;  but,  as  to  us,  the 
task  would  be  too  painful.  It  belongs  to  us  to  dis- 
prove this  construction  of  scripture,  and  to  show 
that  the  passage  under  consideration  means  no  such 
thing.  And  here  you  will  indulge  me  in  making  a 
few  additional  remarks,  by  way  of  preface.  I  hum- 
bly ask  you  this  question :  If  this  sentiment  to 
which  this  passage  of  scripture  has  been  applied  be 
not  the  true  construction,  then,  I  ask,  is  it  not  what 
we  owe  to  God  to  make  this  manifest  ? 

For  us  to  answer  this  question,  it  is  necessary  to 
see  the  merit  of  it.  Here,  it  is  pretended  by  the 
professors  and  teachers  of  divinity,  that  Almighty 
God  has  appointed  mankind  to  all  these  torments  in 
the  eternal  world.  But  suppose,  on  the  other  hand, 
that  this  is  not  the  case  ;  then,  I  ask,  has  not  the 
character  of  God  been  greatly  injured  by  such  a  rep- 
resentation? I  will  make  this  perfectly  clear  to 
your  minds  by  this  simile.  Suppose  I  should  tell 
your  children  they  were  in  danger  of  receiving 
destruction  at  your  hands ;  and  that,  if  they  did  not 
please  you,  you  would  torment  them  in  the  most 
awftd  manner,  as  long  as  you  could.  Suppose  this 
be  not  the  truth ;  is  it  not  due  to  your  character  to 
12=* 


138 


HELL   THE   PUNISHMENT   OF   SIN. 


undeceive  your  children,  and  let  them  know  you  are 
not  as  you  were  represented  to  be  ?  Yes,  certainly. 
Look  at  this  subject,  and  observe  another  question. 
Is  it  not  due  to  your  poor,  miserable  children,  to 
give  them  a  proper  idea  of  your  virtue,  and  to  dis- 
suade them  from  such  a  sentiment  with  respect  to 
your  character  ?  They  do  not  know  whither  to 
turn  —  to  the  right,  or  to  the  left.  They  have  a  fear 
that  they  will  be  tormented,  unless  they  are  made 
different  from  what  they  are ;  and,  though  they  are 
not  capable  of  making  themselves  different  unless 
they  are  changed,  they  will  certainly  be  liable  to 
destruction.  Unless  they  obey  their  parents,  they 
will  be  destroyed ;  and,  being  told  they  are  incapa- 
ble of  obeying  them,  they  are  filled  with  perplexity, 
expecting  every  moment  to  be  called  to  an  account, 
and  sentenced  to  interminable  destruction.  Is  it  not 
due  to  the  parent  to  undeceive  the  children ;  and  is 
it  not  due  to  the  children  to  be  undeceived  ?  Most 
certainly.  Let  this  case  be  applied.  If  this  pas- 
sage be  misconstrued  in  representing  God  as  unmer- 
ciftdly  cruel  towards  mankind,  is  it  not  due  to  the 
character  of  God  to  clear  it  of  its  reproach,  and 
that  mankind  should  be  undeceived?     And  is   it 


HELL   THE   PUNISHMENT   OF   SIN. 


139 


not  due  to  mankind  to  undeceive  them  with  respect 
to  the  character  of  their  heavenly  Father  ?  Cer- 
tainly. 

One  remark  more,  before  we  proceed.  What  is 
distressing  more  than  anything  is  this  fact,  namely, 
that  the  horrible  doctrine  to  which  this  passage  has 
been  applied  operates  most  cruelly  upon  the  most 
tender  and  innocent  part  of  society.  It  operates 
chiefly  on  those  tender  mothers  and  feeble  sisters 
who  cannot  repel  these  things  with  the  steadiness 
that  others  can  do.  Here  we  see  the  mother  weep- 
ing over  her  children;  we  see  our  dear  sisters 
lamenting  the  probability  of  their  eternal  torment, 
and  perpetually  praying  that  they  may  be  delivered 
from  such  a  state,  —  perpetually  harassing  their 
souls  with  the  most  awful  apprehensions.  Such  a 
doctrine,  I  say,  operates  severely  upon  the  most  in- 
nocent and  affable  part  of  society,  —  that  part  we 
ought  to  protect  and  comfort.  But,  in  the  room  of 
this,  we  find  ministers  busying  themselves  with  the 
female  part  of  society,  and  pouring  into  their  ears, 
as  the  serpent  did  into  the  ear  of  Eve,  the  most 
mischievous  doctrines,  and  tormenting  their  souls 
with  the  agony  that  this  doctrine  must  inspire. 


140  HELL   THE   PUNISHMENT   OF    SIN. 

I  have,  perhaps,  been  too  long  on  this  subject 
However,  I  will  now  proceed  to  disprove  this  con- 
struction of  the  words  under  consideration.  My 
first  argument,  my  friends,  is  the  text  itself,  as  it 
reads ;  and,  allowing  this  construction  to  be  true, 
it  proves  more  than  the  opponent  will  allow ;  and 
this  is  good  ground  of  argument.  Now,  hear  the 
words,  and  bear  me  record  that  I  give  them  no  turn, 
but  allow  them  to  be  understood  according  to  their 
natural  signification.  "  The  wicked  shall  be  turned 
into  hell,  and  all  the  nations  that  forget  God."  The 
text  does  not  intimate  that  they  may  possibly  be 
turned  into  hell.  There  is  no  conditionality.  There 
is  no  alternative.  It  is  stated  as  a  positive  fact. 
Some  may  bring  in  an  objection,  and  say  that  it 
implies  a  conditionality,  and  means  that  they  shall 
be  turned  into  hell  unless  they  repent.  Read  the 
Scriptures;  and,  my  friendly  hearers,  let  me  ask 
you  if  it  be  right  to  make  any  addition  to  the  word 
of  God  ?  Is  it  warrantable  to  say  that  the  text 
means  what  it  says  nothing  about  ?  No ;  the  text 
Bays  the  wicked  shall  be  turned  into  hell.  It  does 
not  say  they  shall  be  turned  into  hell  unless  they 
repent  and  believe.     It  has  no  reference  to  repent- 


HELL   THE   PUNISHMENT   OF    SIN. 


141 


ance.  Repentance  is  a  New  Testament  doctrine. 
These  words  have  no  reference  to  believing ;  there  is 
no  conditionality  about  them.  The  testimony  is^  that 
the  wicked  shall  be  turned  into  hell.  It  shall  take 
place-     It  cannot  be  prevented. 

Now,  if  you  allow  it  can  be  prevented,  the  sub- 
ject is  perverted,  and  I  have  no  more  to  say  to  it ; 
such  a  construction  would  destroy  the  text.    But  we 
will  not  allow  this.     We  will  not  allow  a  condition, 
when  a  condition  is  not  in  the  text ;  but  we  will 
contend  for  the  authority  of  these  words  directly. 
"The  wicked  shall  be  turned   into   hell,  and  all 
nations  that   forget  God."     But   here   is   another 
particular  point.     Does  it  mean  that  all,  or  only 
part,  of  the  wicked  shall  be  turned  into  hell  ?     The 
reading  of  the  text  decides  the  question.    It  decides 
that  all  the  wicked  shall  be  turned  into  hell.     It 
says,  "  The  wicked,  and  all  nations  that  forget  God, 
shall  be  turned  into  hell."     This  is  the  sober  mean- 
ing.    It   means   nothing   short   of  it.      It  means 
nothing  more.     The  method  which  I  proposed  for 
the  consideration  of  this  subject  was,  that  I  would 
show  what  it  says ;  and  then  show  that,  if  it  has 


142  HELL   THE   PUNISHMENT    OF    SIN. 

been  applied  right,  it  proves  more  than  they  allow 
who  make  this  use  of  it. 

One  question  more  arises,  —  how  many  of  the 
human  family  do  the  Scriptures  declare  have  for- 
gotten God  ?  I  will  not  extend  my  inquiry  to  the 
whole  population  of  the  world ;  I  will  go  directly  to 
the  author  of  the  text.  How  many  does  this  sweet 
psalmist  of  Israel  say  ?  "  The  Lord  looked  down 
from  heaven  upon  the  children  of  men,  to  see  if 
there  were  any  that  did  understand  and  seek  God. 
They  are  all  gone  aside ;  they  are  altogether  become 
filthy ;  there  is  none  that  doeth  good,  no,  not  one." 
No,  NOT  ONE.  All  had  gone  out  of  the  way ;  then 
all  had  forgotten  God.  This  is  the  testimony  of  the 
same  author.  He  says,  "  All  the  nations  that  forget 
God  shall  be  turned  into  hell ;"  and  then  says  that 
"  All  the  people  below  heaven  had  forgotten  God," 
or  words  of  the  same  purport.  Now,  I  ask,  does 
this  not  prove  more  than  our  opposers  will  allow  ? 
Are  they  willing  to  understand  that  themselves,  and 
all  mankind,  from  Adam  to  his  last  oflfspring,  who 
have  forgotten  God,  —  all  ministers,  all  deacons,  all 
people,  — shall  be  turned  into  hell  ?  Will  they  allow 
this?      No.      Then   they   would   compromise    the 


HELL  THE  PUNISHMENT   OF   SIN.  143 

question  in  some  way  or  other,  or  give  up  the  text. 
This  text  says,  "  The  wicked  shall  be  turned  into 
hell,  and  all  the  nations  that  forget  God."  The 
testimony  of  the  same  author  says  that  they,  the 
children  of  men,  are  all  gone  aside.  Then  they  are 
all  wicked,  and  have  forgotten  God.  Since,  there- 
fore, all  nations  have  forgotten  God,  this  is  a  good 
argument  directly  to  disprove  the  application  of  the 
text.  David,  the  author  of  all  that  has  been  quoted 
on  this  subject,  says,  *'  All  the  nations,  whom  thou 
hast  made,  shall  come  and  worship  before  thee,  O 
Lord,  and  glorify  thy  name."  He  that  said,  "  All  na- 
tions that  forget  God  shall  be  turned  into  hell,"  now 
says,  "  All  nations  shall  worship  before  the  Lord." 
Now,  no  nation  that  he  named  could  be  turned  into 
an  endless  hell ;  because,  all  the  nations  of  which 
he  spake  shall  come  and  worship ;  and  if  there  were 
any  nations  that  he  did  not  name,  how  shall  we 
know  what  will  become  of  them  ?  I  will  ask  my 
attentive  audience  this  question,  —  whether  this  does 
not  stand  a  confused  subject  before  you  ?  Can  you 
see  any  consistency  in  it,  —  any  meaning  ?  Can  you 
conceive  that  an  inspired  writer  would  first  tell  you 
God  Almighty  decreed  that  all  mankind  were  to  be 


144  HELL   THE   PUNISHMENT   OF    SIN. 

miserable  to  all  eternity,  and  then  tell  you  all  the 
nations  of  the  earth  shall  worship  before  God? 
"All  nations,  all  kindred,  shall  worship  before 
thee."  Is  this  the  author  of  the  text  ?  Yes ;  and 
this  is  a  man  declared  to  be  the  prophet  of  God. 
He  is  represented  to  be  moved  by  holy  inspiration, 
in  this  testimony. 

Now,  I  will  ask  one  question  more :  Does  the 
gospel,  which  whispers  peace,  pardon,  love  and 
salvation,  through  the  mediation  of  the  Son  of  God, 
contemplate  the  salvation  of  one  single  individual, 
unless  it  be  a  sinner,  or  wicked  person  ?  Do  you 
learn,  from  reading  the  gospel,  that  it  was  designed 
for  the  salvation  of  any  but  sinners?  Did  not 
Jesus  say,  "  I  come  not  to  call  the  righteous,  but 
sinners,  to  repentance "  ?  Does  not  St.  Paul,  his 
faithful  servant  and  follower,  speak  to  the  same 
effect  ?  What  says  David  ?  That  they  are  to  be 
saved?  No;  cast  into  hell!  And  yet  the  same 
David  said  that  all  nations  should  come  and  worship 
before  God.  St.  Paul  says,  "  This  is  a  faithful  say- 
ing, and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Christ  came 
into  the  world  to  save  sinners."  Put  these  together, 
and  make  sense  of  them.     I  know  what  you  will 


HELL  THE   PUNISHMENT   OF   SIN. 


145 


say.  You  will  say  the  Scriptures  are  broken,  and 
are  made  to  contradict  each  other.  Why  so? 
They  are,  my  friends,  if  hell  be  a  place  of  misery  in 
another  world.  But,  if  the  hell  into  which  sinners 
are  to  be  turned  be  a  state  from  which  the  wicked 
can  be  reclaimed,  redeemed  and  restored,  the  Scrip- 
tures may  harmonize ;  but  in  no  other  way. 

*'  WeU,  then,"  says  the  hearer,  "  one  thing  is  cer- 
tainly wanted,  in  this  place.  We  want  to  know 
whether  this  hell,  in  its  proper  sense,  can  be  in  this 
world,  or  is  it  in  another  world  ?  "  Well,  my  friends, 
I  expect  to  give  you  perfect  satisfaction  on  this  sub- 
ject, if  you  are  perfectly  attentive  and  candid.  The 
testimony  of  the  same  writer  is  what  I  shall  adduce 
to  prove  that  the  hell  of  which  he  speaks  is  in  this 
world  ;  and  we  do  no  violence  to  his  language  so  to 
explain  it.  What  does  this  writer  say  about  hell  ? 
How  did  David  know  that  the  wicked  would  be  turned 
into  hell  ?  He  knew  it  by  experience ;  because  he 
had  been  a  sinner.  I  need  not  undertake  to  prove 
tJiat  he  had  been  a  sinner,  for  you  are  aware  of  that 
fact.  He  had  been  wicked,  and  had  been  turned 
into  hell ;  and  you  have  his  own  testimony  for  this. 
For,  in  the  eighty-sixth  psalm,  he  says, "  Great  is 
13 


146 


HELL   THE   PUNISHMENT   OF   SIN. 


thy  mercy,  0  Lord ;  for  thmi  hast  delivered  my  send 
from  the  lowest  hell"  Is  it  possible  I>avid  said 
this  ?  Yes,  it  is.  "  Great  is  thy  mercy,  O  Lord  ;  for 
thou  hast  delivered  my  soid  from  the  laivest  helV^ 
Is  it  possible  he  had  been  in  the  lowest  hell,  and 
had  been  delivered  from  it  ?  Was  he  in  this  world, 
or  in  another  world,  when  he  wrote  thus  ?  He  was 
in  this  world.  He  was  flesh  and  blood ;  but  he  had 
been  in  the  lowest  hell!  God  had  been  merciful 
towards  him,  and  had  delivered  him  from  it. 
"  But,"  says  the  objector,  "  I  do  not  know  that  that 
is  making  a  right  use  of  the  text.  Perhaps  all  he 
meant  was,  that  he  was  prevented  from  going  there. 
If  the  pains  of  that  awful  torment  had  seized  upon 
him,  he  could  not  have  been  delivered."  In  the 
one  hundred  and  sixteenth  psalm  and  the  third 
verse,  he  says,  "  The  pains  of  hell  gat  hold  upon 
me."  Now  there  is  no  need  of  the  first  words. 
Here  is  testimony  direct.  He  says,  first,  that  God 
had  delivered  him  from  the  lowest  hell ;  and  then, 
he  says,  tlie  pains  of  hell  gat  hold  of  him.  He  had 
not  only  been  in  the  lov.est  Ij^ll,  but  the  pains  of 
hell  had  seized  upon  him ;  and  y^  he  was  delivered 
by  the  merey  of  God!     God  did  ^np^  accept  of  hig 


HELL   THE    PUNISHMENT    OF    SIN» 


147 


going  into  hell  as  an  atonement,  but  by  his  repent* 
ance  he  was  delivered  from  hell. 

In  addition  to  the  testimony  of  David,  I  will  give 
you  that  of  Jonah;  who,  when  speaking  of  his 
deliverance  from  the  belly  of  the  fish,^  says,  "  Out 
of  the  belly  of  hell  cried  I  unto  the  Lord,  and  thou 
heardest  my  voice."  He  must  have  been  there 
when  he  cried  unto  God,  and  when  he  cried  God 
heard  him.  Now,  here  it  is  evident  that  it  was 
possible  for  Jonah  to  be  in  the  belly  of  hell,  and  for 
God  to  hear  him  when  he  cried  to  him.  The  Bible 
contains  a  great  many  other  things,  with  respect  to 
hell,  which  prove  that  it  is  in  this  world.  Solo- 
mon, in  his  ninth  chapter  of  Proverbs,  says,  "  A 
foolish  woman  is  clamorous:  she  is  simple,  and 
knoweth  nothing.  For  she  sitteth  at  the  door  of  her 
house,  on  a  seat  in  the  high  places  of  the  city,  to 
call  passengers  who  go  right  on  their  ways  :  whoso 
is  simple,  let  him  turn  in  hither ;  and  as  for  him 
that  wanteth  understanding,  she  saith  to  him.  Stolen 
waters  are  sweet,  and  bread  eaten  in  secret  is  pleas- 
ant. But  he  knoweth  not  that  the  dead  are  there : 
and  that  her  guests  are  in  the  depths  of  hdi:'     0, 

*  See  Note  B. 


148  HELL   THE   PUNISHMENT   OF    SIN. 

my  friendly  hearers,  most  assuredly,  according  to 
this  testimony,  every  individual  who  listens  to  the 
voice  of  folly,  and  deviates  from  the  paths  of  wisdom 
and  righteousness,  finds  himself  in  the  lowest  depths 
of  hell  !=^ 

Once  more,  I  will  give  you  an  instance  of  the  use 
of  the  word  "  hell,"  and  then  shall  suppose  that  I 
have  given  you  enough.  St.  James  says  of  the 
tongue,  —  that  "little  member,"  which  "boasteth 
great  things,"  —  "  The  tongue  is  a  fire,  a  world  of 
iniquity:  it  defileth  the  whole  body,  and  setteth 
on  fire  the  whole  course  of  nature ;  and  it  is  set  on 
fire  of  hell."  t  Did  you  never  see  men  join  together, 
and  with  their  tongues  kindle  up  a  fire  ?  Yes.  St. 
James  calls  that  hell.  They  did  it  with  their 
tongue,  that  unclean  member,  full  of  deadly  poison. 
0,  the  tongue,  ungoverned,  will  turn  you  into  hell, 
and  bring  you  into  sorrow  and  trouble ! 

I  cannot  believe  that  my  subject  now  remains 
obscure.  You  must  now,  I  think,  understand  the 
true  application  of  this  subject,  "  The  wicked  shall 
be  turned  into  hell,  and  all  the  nations  that  forget 
Ck)d."     Every  individual  who  walks  in  the  paths  of 

♦  See  Note  C.  t  See  Note  D. 


HELL   THE   PUNISIiMENT    OF   SIN. 


149 


wickedness  goes  into  hell;  for  trouble,  perplexity 
and  misery,  are  the  inseparable  companions  of  sin 
and  transgression.    All  the  nations  of  the  earth  that 
practise   wickedness   are   involved   in   trouble   and 
wickedness.     I  ask  now  whether   hell  is   in    this 
world  or  in  another  ?     You  must  say,  in  answer, 
"  In  this  world."     Read  the  history  of  the  Jewish 
nation.     What  exalted   her?     A  wise   and   equal 
policy,  a  judicious  line  of  conduct  and  administra- 
tion of  government,   consistent  with  the  laws  of 
righteousness.     What  threw  this  nation  down  from 
her  glory  ?     What  blotted  her  name  from  heaven  ? 
Her  transgressions ;  it  was  because  she  sinned  against 
God,  and  did  not  do  justice  towards  his  Son.    What 
exalted  the  house  of  Israel  ?     Their  righteousness 
and  piety.     What  degraded  that  people  lower  than 
any  other  people  ?     Their  disobedience  to  Heaven. 
And   when    our    blessed   Saviour   spoke   of    their 
destruction,  he  said,  "  For   these   be   the  days  of 
vengeance,  that  all  things  which  are  written  may  be 
fulfilled."     And  what  was  written  in  the   law  of 
Moses,  with  respect  to  the  people  who  should  sin 
against  God,  has  been  accomplished  upon  that  peo- 
ple.    Can  you  read  the  Scriptures,  and  know  that 
13# 


150  HELL   THE   PUNISHMENT   OF    SIN, 

the  house  of  Israel  was  not  punished  for  their  sins  ? 
No.  And  now  I  will  ask  you  a  question  which 
comprises  what  has  passed  under  your  own  obser- 
vation. 

It  is  contended,  by  a  deluded  ministry,  that  God 
does  not  reward  virtue  and  holiness  in  the  earth,  but 
keeps  back  the  reward  until  his  children  shall  enter 
another  world.  Is  this  true  ?  I  appeal  to  your 
own  observation ;  and  look  away  from  yourselves, 
if  you  are  not  pleased  to  observe  yourselves.  Look 
at  those  who  are  wretched  and  miserable,  destitute 
of  friends  in  the  world,  —  the  most  degraded,  who 
have  not  even  the  consolation  of  a  good  conscience, 
nor  the  esteem  of  society  at  large.  I  ask  you,  have 
they  got  into  this  miserable  situation  by  their  well- 
doing ?  Do  honestly  answer  me  this  question.  Is 
it  their  well-doing  which  has  been  the  cause  of  all 
this  misery  ?  No :  you  know  to  the  contrary. 
You  know  it  was  their  idleness,  their  want  of  econ- 
omy, giving  themselves  up  to  their  blind  passions, 
and  following  after  sinful  pleasure.  When  you  look 
at  a  dissipated  young  man,  do  you  not  feel  an  emo- 
tion of  pity  and  grief,  as  you  see  him  ruining  him- 
self?    What  is  the  cause  of  this  ?     His  vain  appe- 


HELL   THE   PUNISHMENT    OP    SIN. 


151 


tites.     He  will  soon  be  by  the  wall,  and  he  is  seen 
staggering  about  the  streets.     Can  there  be  a  worse 
hell  than  this  ?     If  you  want  to  see  a  worse  hell,  go 
into  that  dear  family  where  distress  is  heightened 
by  family  broils,  where   misery  is   brought  on  by 
the  disobedience   of  children   to   parents,  and   the 
unkindness  of  parents  to  children.     I  ask  you,  is  it 
righteousness  that  breaks  up  the  peace  of  families  ? 
Is  it  well-doing  ?     No ;   evil  conduct.     I  wish  to 
ask  you,  now,  is  it  religion,  is  it  virtue,  that  gives 
so  many  inmates  to  the  penitentiary  ?     Is  it  right- 
eousness that  drives  so  many  wretched  victims  to 
the   gallows,    and    to    confinement   for    life?     No. 
Now,  that  is  hell ;  all  such  misery  is  hell.     The 
world  is  full  of  it.     Some  are  just  turning  in,  some 
are  just  turning  out ;  and  we  pray,  and  fervently 
pray,  God  to  keep  them  out  of  this  condition.     It  is 
the  inevitable  consequence  of  transgression;  and  I 
tell  you,  old  and  young,  if  you  transgress,  if  you 
do  wrong,  you  must   suffer  for   it.      The  way  to 
avoid  being  wretched  is  to  love  God  with  all  your 
heart,  with  all  your  soul,  and  with  all  your  strength, 
and  your  neighbor   as  yourself.     Let  me  read   a 
passage  of  scripture,  and  you  will  understand  this. 


152 


HELL   THE   PXJNISHMENT   OJ?    SIN. 


"  By  grace  are  ye  saved,  througli  faith;  and  that  not 
of  youi'selves,  it  is  the  gift  of  God,"  "  Then,"  says 
the  hearer,  "it  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  do  good 
works  for  the  purpose  of  being  saved."  No :  "  Not 
of  works,  lest  any  man  should  boast ;  for  we  are  his 
workmanship,  created  in  Jesus  Christ  unto  good 
works,  which  God  hath  before  ordained,  that  we 
walk  in  them."  Now,  my  friendly  hearers,  observe 
that  our  Saviour  saves  us  "  to "  good  works,  not 
"  for  "  good  works ;  and  a  man  who  is  saved  is  only 
saved  from  wrong-doing  to  right-doing.  "  Thou 
shalt  call  his  name  Jesus ;  for  he  shall  save  his  peo- 
ple from  their  sinsy  The  thing  they  are  saved 
from  is  sin ;  and  the  thing  they  are  saved  to  is 
righteousness. 

And  now,  lest  I  should  weary  your  patience,  I 
shall  submit  what  I  have  said  to  your  dispassionate 
consideration.  I  appeal  to  your  understandings 
whether  I  have  perverted  the  text  in  any  way.  I 
ask  you  to  look,  and  see  if  I  hold  up  any  doctrine 
that  naturally  leads  you  to  do  wrong.  Do  you  live 
lives  of  virtue,  and  agreeably  to  the  commands  of 
God,  —  then  you  will  live  in  the  enjoyment  of  God, 


HELL   THE   PUNISHMENT   OF   SIN.  153 

and  of  virtue ;  but,  if  you  pursue  a  contrary  course, 
you  can  neither  enjoy  God  nor  virtue. 

0,  may  the  good  will  of  him  who  hedgeth  up  the 
ways  of  the  wicked  with  thorns  hedge  up  your  way, 
my  hearers,  so  that  none  of  you  go  in  sin  and  trans- 
gression !  Then  will  you  be  free  from  misery,  and 
woe,  and  wretchedness.  And  let  me  persuade  you  to 
deal  justly,  love  mercy,  and  walk  humbly  with  God ; 
for  this  is  what  God  requireth  of  you :  and,  if  you 
examine  the  economy  of  human  life,  you  will  per- 
ceive that  every  inconvenience,  and  every  infelicity, 
is  the  consequence  of  wrong-doing.  Is  there  any 
poor,  wretched  soul  present,  who  cries  out,  in  the 
agonies  of  his  heart,  and,  as  it  were,  from  hell,  "  I 
have  despised  God,  —  I  have  given  myself  up  to 
folly,  and  wandered  so  far  that  I  cannot  get  back  "  ? 
To  such  a  one  I  would  say.  Remember  David's  case; 
and  remember  that  he  was  delivered  from  the  lowest 
hell.  If  there  be  such  a  one  among  you,  I  pray 
God  he  may  be  delivered  from  sin ;  and  let  us  all 
remember  that  "  blessed  are  they  that  hunger  and 
thirst  after  righteousness." 

May  the  Lord  give  you  an  appetite  for  truth,  and 
a  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness ;  and  may 


154  HELL   THE   PUNISHMENT   OF   SIN. 

his  spirit  lead  you  to  walk  iu  a  way  that  you  may 
enjoy  the  presence  of  God,  and  the  approbation  of 
your  own  conscience !  For,  in  keeping  God's  com- 
mandments, there  is  a  great  reward,  —  a  reward  of 
peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  comfort  and 
consolation  of  pure  and  undefiled  religion.  And 
may  God  grant,  my  friends,  that  this  reward,  this 
joy,  may  be  yours ! 


SERMON    IX 


Herein  is  love,  not  that  wb  loved  God,  but  that 

HE  LOVED  us,  AND  SENT  HIS  SoN  TO  BE  THE  PROPITI- 
ATION FOR  OUR  SINS.  Beloved,  if  God  so  loved  us, 
WE  ought  al&o  to  love  one  another.  —  1  John  4 : 
10, 11. 

There  are  several  very  important  subjects  con- 
tained in  the  passage  read  for  consideration. 

The  first  that  invites  our  attention  is  this :  that 
Tnan  did  not  lave  God,  "  Herein  is  love,  not  that 
we  loved  God."  This  was  not  the  case.  A  question 
is  framed  on  this  subject,  which  is  this  :  What  was 
the  reason,  what  was  the  cause,  of  man's  not  loving 
God  ?  There  has  been  a  great  deal  said  upon  the 
criminality  of  the  want  of  love  in  man  towards  the 
Deity.  It  is  our  duty,  in  approaching  this  subject, 
to  investigate  it  with  caution,  —  to  look  into  its 
nature,  that  we  may  be  capable  of  judging  of  it,  aa 
we  are  capable  of  judging  of  any  other  subject  of 
consequence  to  us. 


156  god's  uncaused  love  to  man. 

In  order  to  understand  this  question  correctly,  we 
ask  the  reason  why  we  do  not  love  anything  else  ? 
For  it  is  observable,  in  common  life,  that  there  are 
some  things  we  love,  and  there  are  some  things  we 
do  not  love ;  and,  if  we  can  ascertain  the  cause  that 
leads  us  to  love  any  object  whatever,  on  the  one 
hand,  and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  reason  why  we  do 
not  love  other  objects,  we  get  data  by  which  we  can 
answer  our  question.  What,  then,  is  the  cause  of 
our  delighting  in  and  loving  certain  objects  ?  "  Be- 
cause," says  the  hearer,  "  I  see  in  those  objects  that 
which  is  lovely,  or,  at  least,  lovely  to  my  apprehen- 
sion,—  that  which  is  agreeable  to  me,  and  the 
possession  of  which  is  calculated  to  render  me  blest." 
Very  well.  On  the  other  hand,  why  do  you  look  on 
other  objects  with  a  disgusted  eye  ?  "  Because," 
you  answer,  "  there  is  no  beauty  in  such  objects,  — 
there  is  no  loveliness  in  them.  I  see  nothing  in 
them  agreeable  to  me."  I  ask  you,  is  it  not  in  your 
power  to  love  a  disagreeable  object,  as  well  as  an 
agreeable  one  ?  "  Why,  indeed,"  you  respond,  "  it 
is  impossible  ! "  Could  you  not,  my  friends,  love 
that  disagreeable  object,  if  you  were  threatened  with 
some  punishment  if  you  did  not  love  it  ?     Suppose 


ood's  uncaused  love  to  man.  157 

I  stated  to  you,  if  you  would  love  sucb  an  object  of 
disgust,  you  should  receive  great  preferment ;  but, 
on  the  other  hand,  if  you  did  not  love  that  object, 
you  should  suffer  great  deprivation,  and,  at  last, 
miserable  destruction.  Then  would  you  not  love  it  ? 
"  Why,"  says  the  hearer,  "  to  be  honest  about  it,  I 
would  become  a  hypocrite,  and  say  I  loved  it,  when 
I  did  not ;  but,  if  it  was  disagreeable  to  me,  I  could 
not  love  it,  though  I  lost  my  life  if  I  did  not." 
This  is  all  true.  This  is  simple  nature.  There  is 
no  mystery  about  it.  Then  I  ask  the  same  question 
relative  to  my  subject.  Why  do  not  men  love  God  ? 
The  answer  is  simply  this :  because  they  see  no 
beauty,  no  loveliness,  —  they  see  nothing  in  him  that 
is  agreeable.  This  is  the  reason,  and  all  the  reason. 
Let  us  be  careful  how  we  proceed.  Does  this 
suppose  that  there  is  no  beauty,  no  loveliness,  no 
worth,  in  the  object  ?  No,  it  does  not ;  but  it  sup- 
poses we  do  not  see  these  qualities.  To  render  this 
more  simple,  I  will  suppose  that  I  had  the  confi- 
dence of  your  little  children,  and  I  should  tell  them 
that  you  were  their  implacable  foes,  who  had  planned 
their  destruction,  and  that  they  were  by  no  means 
safe  while  in  your  hands.  If  they  should  believe 
14 


158  god's  uncaused  love  to  man. 

all  this,  and  look  up  to  their  parents  throTigh  the 
medium  of  this  misrepresentation,  they  would  see  no 
beauty,  no  excellence,  that  they  could  admire ;  but 
they  would  leave  the  door  of  your  house,  and  your 
children  would  be  gone  at  once.  In  this  situation, 
knowing  the  cause  that  led  them  away,  what  would 
be  your  feelings  towards  them  ?  Would  you  hate 
your  children  because  I  deceived  them,  and  through 
the  medium  of  this  deception  caused  them  to  dislike 
you  ?  No,  my  hearers,  you  would  love  them  still, 
knowing  them  to  be  deceived,  and  that  this  decep- 
tion was  the  only  cause  of  their  not  loving  you.  But 
what  would  you  think  of  me,  who  came  into  your 
house,  and  deceived  your  children  in  this  way,  and 
turned  their  tender  hearts  from  having  any  affection, 
any  love  towards  you,  by  representing  you  as  their 
enemy  ? 

My  fiiends,  I  do  not  suppose  any  man  would  be  so 
wicked  as  to  tell  your  children  such  a  story,  unless 
he  was  deceived  himself.  But,  if  I  were  so  deceived 
as  to  think  your  children  unsafe  in  your  hands,  I 
might  honestly  deceive  your  children.  And  it  was 
just  so  with  our  teachers.  They  really  thought  that 
we  were  unsafe  in  God's  hands ;  they  represented 


god's  uncaused  love  to  man. 


159 


him  as  our  enemy ;  and  while  man  believes  this  of 
God,  it  is  impossible,  in  the  very  nature  of  things, 
for  him   to  love   his  Maker.     The  result  of  this, 
reasoning  is  simply  this :  that  the  whole  reason  why 
mankind  do  not  love  God  is,  because  they  do  not 
know  him  to  he  a  lovely  being.     They  do  not  un- 
derstand his  true  character  ;  they  have  fixed  on  God 
a  character  which  does  not  exist;  but,  when  you 
know  his  character,  you  will  love  him,  as,  when 
your  deceived  children  are   undeceived,  they  will 
love  you.     Unless  they  know  your  true  character,  it 
is  impossible  for  them  to  love  you.     When  we  make 
this  discovery,  we  will  suppose  we  have  answered  the 
question.     What  is  the  reason  why  we  do  not  love 
God  ?     Our  answer  is,  because  we  do  not  know  his 
nature,  because  mankind  have  been  deceived  as  to 
his   character.      They   believed   him   to    be   their 
enemy,  whereas  he  is,  in  fact,  their  friend. 

I  will  not  consume  the  precious  time  in  describ- 
ing to  you  the  impropriety  that  your  humble  servant 
discovers  in  the  labors  of  so  many  men,  who  have 
come  forward  and  preached  to  the  world  that  man- 
kind were  not  safe  in  the  hands  of  their  Maker. 
My  hearers,  it  makes  my  heart  bleed  to  think  how 


160 


GOD'S   UNCAUSED   LOVE   TO   MAN. 


many  sorrows  and  miseries  are  endured  in  conse- 
quence of  this  deception  !  But  I  have  a  sweet  truth 
to  console  you.  For  God  loved  us  when  we  were 
entirely  destitute  of  love  to  him ;  when  we  knew  not 
his  divine  character,  he  was  engaged  in  one  steady, 
invariable  action  of  divine  benevolence;  and  the 
bosom  of  God,  our  author  and  our  creator,  was  cher- 
ishing all  his  offspring.  "  Herein  was  love ;  not 
that  we  loved  God,  but  he  loved  us."  0,  that 
you  could  hear  the  sentence,  and  understand  its  full 
import.  Then  would  you  let  God  have  an  everlasting 
obedience  in  all  your  hearts;  then  should  I  hear 
you  exclaim,  "  In  every  situation  and  under  every 
circumstance,  my  God  loves  me."  What  indescrib- 
able peace,  what  confidence,  what  rest  of  soul,  would 
you  constantly  enjoy ! 

The  next  proposition  in  our  text  is,  that  God  loved 
7is  when  we  did  not  love  him ;  and  a  question 
necessarily  arises  concerning  the  justice  of  such  a 
love.  I  name  it  because  our  opposers  insist  this  is 
against  his  mercy,  and  even  deny  that  he  is  disposed 
to  save  us.  I  ask  you  to  come  then  to  the  consider- 
ation of  this  question,  —  Is  it  right  for  God  to  love 
mankind,  when  man  does  not  love  him  ?     "  Why," 


god's  uncaused  love  to  man. 


161 


says  the  hearer,  "  no  doubt  it  is  right."  That, 
however,  does  not  answer  the  question,  though  it 
may  serve  to  assist  us.  It  does  not  discover,  you 
perceive,  the  nature  of  the  justice  of  God,  in  loving 
us  when  we  do  not  love  him.  But  we  can  see  the 
answer  in  the  case  I  have  already  stated,  of  a  child 
who  is  deceived,  and  who,  because  he  is  deceived, 
does  not  love  his  parent.  Is  it  not  perfectly  right 
for  you  to  love  the  child,  notwithstanding  this  decep- 
tion? You  would  look  upon  the  child  and  say, 
"That  child  is  deceived;  it  does  not  know  my 
heart,  —  it  does  not  know  that  my  real  will  and 
pleasure  is  to  guard  its  welfare."  Certainly,  in  this 
case,  you  would  love  the  child,  and  it  would  be  per- 
fectly right  for  you  to  do  so.  I  ask,  would  it  not  be 
wrong  for  you  not  to  love  it  ?  Very  wrong.  Then, 
my  hearers,  it  is  just  in  the  nature  of  the  thing  for 
God  to  love  his  creatures.  He  knows  that  none 
would  hate  him,  if  they  knew  him.  If  they  knew 
his  real  character,  it  would  tend  to  put  a  confidence 
in  him;  it  would  tend  to  enlighten  every  under- 
standing, and  bring  all  to  the  knowledge  of  himself ; 
and  this  is  declared  in  the  Scriptures  to  be  eternal 
life.  For,  saith  our  divine  Teacher,  "  This  is  life 
14* 


162 


god's  uncaused  love  to  man. 


eternal,  to  know  thee,  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus 
Christ  whom  thou  hast  sent."  There  is  the  perfect 
justice  of  God's  loving  the  world.  We  are  under 
obligation  to  take  care  of  our  childi-en,  never  remov- 
ing the  hand  of  oiu'  providence  from  them  on 
account  of  any  imperfection  in  them,  but  always  act- 
ing for  their  benefit.  And  so  does  our  heavenly 
Father  act  towards  all  the  creatures  he  has  made. 
I  ask  you,  does  not  this  reasoning  in  the  result  come 
to  this,  that  the  cause  of  our  not  loving  God  is, 
that  we  take  him  to  be  an  enemy  to  the  works  of 
his  hand  ?  Do  we  not  reduce  him  below  the  creat- 
ures of  the  earth,  and  disallow  God  in  heaven  the 
virtues  which  we  boast  ?  Thus  we  tear  the  beauti- 
ful garment  of  our  heavenly  Father's  character,  and 
represent  it  as  unlovely. 

Thirdly.  Love  is  always  an  active  principle,  and 
delights  to  manifest  itself  to  the  beloved  object.  So 
a  parent  who  loves  his  child  is  always  doing  good  to 
that  child.  If  you  love  your  neighbor,  you  will  sig- 
nify that  love  by  some  act  of  kindness,  of  friendship, 
of  affection.  If  any  want,  if  any  misery,  is  endured  by 
the  object  of  your  affection,  how  soon  do  you  fly  to  her 
relief !  how  soon  do  you  administer  what  is  requi- 


god's  uncaused  love  to  man. 


163 


site  and  necessary  !  So  it  is  with  God.  "  Herein 
is  love,  not  that  we  loved  God,  but  that  he  loved  us." 
What  did  he  do  ?  Did  he  manifest  his  love  by  any 
act  ?  Yes,  he  "  loved  us,  and  sent  his  Son  to  be  a 
propitiation  for  our  sins."  Mankind  were  enveloped 
in  transgression,  were  covered  with  a  veil  of  sin ;  yet 
God's  love  was  such  that  he  sent  his  Son  to  be  a  pro- 
pitiation for  our  sins.  Here,  then,  observe,  the  text 
entirely  disproves  the  doctrine  that  Jesus  came  here 
to  suffer  and  die  for  us  to  appease  God's  wrath,  to 
satisfy  his  justice,  and  to  reconcile  God  to  mankind. 
All  such  doctrine  is  lost  forever,  when  we  come  into 
the  light  of  the  text  under  consideration.  How  so  ? 
Because  the  love  of  God  was  the  occasion  of  Christ's 
coming  into  the  world.  It  would  be  an  egregious 
error  to  conceive  that  God  sent  his  Son  into  the 
world  to  die  for  the  purpose  of  appeasing  his  wrath 
towards  the  world.  Can  I  state  an  absurdity  greater 
than  to  say  God  sent  his  Son  into  the  world  to  die 
for  the  purpose  of  appeasing  his  own  wrath  against 
the  world  ?  There  is  no  sense  in  it.  It  is  direct 
contradiction.  It  is  abusing  the  use  of  our  reason 
most  perniciously.     The  coming  of  Christ  into  the 


164 


god's  uncaused  love  to  man. 


world  was  a  consequence,  not  a  cause,  of  God's  love 
to  us. 

Fourthly.  God  loves  us,  "  and  sent  his  Son  to  be 
a  propitiation  for  our  sins."  What  is  meant  by  pro- 
pitiation? He  does  what  is  stated  by  St.  John, 
when  he  says,  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God,  which 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world."  He  does  not 
take  away  God's  wrath,  for  there  is  no  such  thing ; 
but  he  takes  away  the  fault.  Where  is  the  fault  ? 
In  the  creature.  He  takes  away  the  sin.  Where  is 
the  sin  ?  In  the  creature.  The  remedy  is  applied 
where  the  defect  is.  "  The  whole  need  not  a  physician, 
but  they  that  are  sick."  Medicine  is  not  necessary  to 
remove  the  wrath  of  the  physician,  but  to  remove  the 
disorder  of  the  patient.  I  think  you  must  under- 
stand this  subject.  It  is  difficult  to  conceive  that 
the  creature  is  to  be  tormented  in  order  to  be 
saved.  Therefore,  our  Saviour  says,  "  To  this  end 
was  I  born,  and  for  this  cause  came  I  into  the 
world,  to  bear  witness  to  the  truth."  Will  that 
take  away  the  sins  of  man  ?  Yes.  And  I  will 
show  you  the  idea  in  the  sin  of  your  little  children, 
which  I  have  adduced.  In  what  way  is  the  sin  of 
your  child  to  be  removed,  when,  in  consequence  of 


god's  uncaused  love  to  man. 


165 


being  deceived,  it  is  brought  to  hate  its  parent  ?  By 
letting  the  child  know  your  real  character.  The 
moment  the  child  knows  your  real  character,  that  is 
the  death  of  all  its  hatred.  The  child  then  loves 
you ;  it  delights  in  you,  by  coming  to  the  knowledge 
of  your  real  character.  Sin  would  be  removed,  this 
moment,  from  all  mankind,  if  they  knew  the  char- 
acter of  God ;  we  should  put  our  whole  trust  in  him, 
and  there  would  be  no  hatred  in  the  human  family 
towards  God.  Hence  Paul  says,  "  God  commended 
his  love  towards  us,  in  that  while  we  were  yet  sin- 
ners Christ  died  for  us."  He  died  to  manifest  the 
love  of  God  to  his  creature,  man.  And,  when  we 
see  in  Christ  the  character  of  our  heavenly  Father, 
it  is  then  we  adore  him,  then  we  love  him,  then  we 
are  disposed  to  honor  his  name. 

Now,  what  is  the  result  of  this  ?  Is  it  what  our 
enemies  say  ?  "  No  matter  what  we  do  ;  religion  is 
not  worth  possessing,  if  God  loves  us  all ;  and  if  God 
loves  us  all,  we  would  not  worship  him,  we  would 
not  read  the  Scriptures,  we  would  not  obey  his 
commandments,  we  would  not  love  one  another." 
Is  this  the  result  ?  Our  enemies,  never  having  been 
undeceived,  really  suppose  that  this  doctrine  has 


166  god's  uncaused  love  to  man. 

such  a  tendency ;  but  we  have  the  true  result  before 
us.  If  we  believe  that  God  so  loved  us  as  to  send, 
his  Son  to  die  for  us,  we  ought  to  love  one  another. 
This  is  the  result.  This  is  the  consequence  of  the 
doctrine ;  and  we,  who  have  discovered  his  love  to 
us,  if  we  know  that  he  loves  those  who  do  not  love 
him,  how  reasonable  is  it  that  we  should  be  led  to 
love  one  another !  Shall  I  not  love  those  objects 
whom  my  God  loves  ?  Shall  I  not  love  all  those  for 
whose  sins  he  sent  his  Son  to  be  a  propitiation  ? 
Most  assuredly.  This  is  a  consequence  naturally 
to  be  expected,  and  necessarily,  from  the  proposition 
we  have  laid  down.  In  fact,  it  is  impossible  it 
should  have  any  contrary  effect  upon  our  hearts.  I 
do  not  say  that  all  who  profess  the  doctrine  do  love 
one  another  as  they  ought ;  but  I  have  the  confi- 
dence to  say  that  no  one  who  possesses  the  real  sen- 
timent, the  real  principle,  in  his  heart,  can  do  other- 
wise than  love  all  mankind ;  and  here  you  will 
easily  perceive  that  all  the  commandments  of  the 
gospel  are  to  be  obeyed.  For  when  you  love  one 
another,  and  love  God,  what  duty  is  there  that  will 
be  neglected  ?  what  duty  is  there  that  will  not  be 
fulfilled  ?    what    is    there  that   will  not  be   done 


god'b  uncaused  love  to  man.  167 

which  ought  to  be  done  ?  If  this  will  not  lead  us  to 
our  duty,  what  will  ?  Will  terror  make  us  do  our 
duty  ?  No  ;  for  (referring  once  more  to  the  simili- 
tude), what  drove  your  children  away  ?  It  was 
believing  the  story  they  were  told  of  your  character. 
What  brought  them  back  ?  Knowing  you  were 
good.  And  know  you  not  that  it  is  "  the  goodness 
of  God  that  leadeth  you  to  repentance  "  ?  Why, 
then,  should  not  his  goodness  be  preached  to  sinners  ? 
Why  should  we  be  told  such  awful  stories  with 
regard  to  eternity  ?  Why  should  we  be  told  that 
there  is  an  everlasting  state  of  burning,  in  order 
to  induce  us  to  love  our  Father  in  heaven?  0,  in- 
congruous doctrine  !  Let  it  be  banished  from  the 
world,  and  let  the  angel  of  the  covenant  proclaim 
the  love  of  God  to  mankind  ;  and  may  the  world  be 
converted  !  Man  will  then  love  his  fellow-man. 
You  will  all  see  that  you  are  the  children  of  God, 
that  you  are  all  the  objects  of  God's  love,  and  all 
the  objects  of  our  Saviour's  grace.  Believe  this 
truth ;  treasure  it  up  in  your  hearts,  let  your  aflfec- 
tions  move  with  assent ;  love  God  and  love  one 
another,  and  the  God  of  love  and  peace  shall  be 
with  you ! 


SERMON  X. 


Then  shall  he  sat  to  those  on  his  left  hand,  De- 
part FROM  ME,  YE  CURSED,  INTO  EVERLASTING  FIRE, 
PREPARED     FOR     THE    DEVIL  AND   HIS    ANGELS. Matt. 

25  :  41.  ~ 

It  is  impossible  that  the  audience  can  contemplate 
this  subject  without  feeling  sensibly  the  solemnity 
which  such  words  naturally  inspire. 

"When  we  take  into  consideration  the  common  use 
which  divines  make  of  this  passage  of  scripture, 
when  we  are  seriously  called  upon  to  consider  it  as  a 
subject  of  discourse,  it  is  expected  that  every  mind 
will  regard  it  as  a  subject  of  the  very  first  import- 
ance. 

My  friends,  we  feel  no  disposition  to  enter  into  a 
discussion  of  tliis  portion  of  scripture  with  the  spirit 
of  a  sect  or  party.  Such  a  spirit  would  take  from  the 
importance  of  the  subject ;  and  we  would  deprecate 
nothing  more.     If  the  common  explanation  of  this 


ERRONEOUS   VIEWS   OP   A   JUDGMENT. 


169 


passage  be  correct,  it  is  no  matter  of  party.  It  is 
an  awful  calamity,  proceeding  from  heaven;  and 
every  individual  in  the  world  is  concerned  in  it. 
Party  has  nothing  to  do  with  it ;  sect,  name  and 
denomination,  are  entirely  out  of  the  question.  It 
is  no  better  for  one  denomination  than  it  is  for 
another ;  it  is  no  worse  for  one  denomination  than 
for  another.  Our  interest  lies  entirely  in  knowing 
what  it  truly  means.  We  have  no  interest  in 
explaining  it  to  mean  something  that  it  does  not 
really  mean;  we'  have  no  interest  in  withholding 
from  it  the  application  which  the  Saviour  designed 
for  it. 

You  will  permit  me  to  state,  what  you  are  very 
well  acquainted  with,  namely,  the  common  doctrine 
supposed  to  be  supported  by  this  text.  The  common 
use  of  this  passage  is  to  apply  it  to  what  is  called 
the  last  judgment ;  and  the  last  judgment,  it  is 
supposed,  will  take  place  when  all  mankind,  who 
have  lived  in  past  ages,  shall  be  raised  from  the 
dead.  At  the  same  time,  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth  that  are  then  alive  will  be  brought  to  judg- 
ment, with  all  those  who  then  shall  be  raised  from 
the  dead.  Then  there  will  be  a  dissolution  of  this 
15 


170  ERp,0NE0U3   VIEWS    OF   A   JUDGMENT, 

material  system,  —  of  the  sun,  the  moon,  and  stars, 

—  and  mankind  will  then  and  there  be  judged  — 
all  of  them  —  exactly  according  to  their  conduct 
here  in  this  mortal  state;  and  if  they  are  found 
justified,  they  will  be  saved  in  eternal  glory ;  while 
all  the  rest  —  supposed  to  be  vastly  the  greater  part 

—  will  be  turned  off  to  eternal  misery.  I  have  only 
stated  this  subject  in  its  summary ;  there  is  not 
time  to  go  into  its  ramifications,  or  to  consider  it 
with  regard  to  the  pernicious  bearing  it  has  upon 
society. 

But,  my  friendly  hearers,  I  feel  disposed  to  invite 
your  serious  and  candid  attention  to  this  question, 
namely,  Does  this  passage  of  scripture  justly  apply 
to  such  a  subject  ?  And,  if  our  Saviour  intended  it 
to  apply  to  such  a  subject,  is  it  not  to  be  expected 
that,  somewhere  in  the  connection,  these  things  will 
be  indicated  ?  Certainly.  Now,  if,  upon  examina- 
tion, we  find  none  of  these  things  indicated,  what 
must  be  our  conclusion  ?  This  :  That,  whatever  it 
might  mean,  it  could  not  mean  what  has  been  gen- 
erally supposed.  Now,  that  these  words  relate  to 
no  such  subject,  we  infer  from  the  following  con- 
siderations ; 


ERRONEOUS   TIEWS   OF   A   JUDGMENT.  171 

First,  there  is  no  intimation,  in  all  the  connection, 
that  this  judgment  is  the  last  judgment  that  ever 
will  take  place.     You  cannot  consider  this  fact  as  a 
matter  of  indifference.     Upon  what  authority  have 
our  divines  declared  this  to  be  the  la^t  judgment  ? 
I  do  not  make  this  inquiry  invidiously,  with  any 
desire  or  design  of  casting  reflections  on  my  fellow- 
creatures.     I  make  it  because  the  subject  demands 
it.     By  what  authority  have  they  told  us  that  this 
was  an  account  of  the  last  judgment  ?     There  is 
nothing  said  about  the  last  judgment  here,  nor  first 
judgment,   nor    any   judgment    numerically.      So 
much,  then,  we  must  dispense  with,  and  say  they  do 
this  without  authority.     In  the  second  place,  I  wish 
to  inform  you  that  there  is  no  hint  given,  in  this 
connection,  with  regard  to  the  dissolution  of  this 
material  system.     There  is  no  indication  whether 
this  earth  will  remain  afterwards  as  it  is  now,  or  not. 
There  is  nothing  of  the  kind  suggested.    Upon  what 
authority,  then,  is  this  all  declared  ?     In  the  third 
place,  there  is  not  one  word  said,  in  this  connection, 
about  the  resurrection  of  the  dead.     Is  it  said  that 
any  of  the  human  family  will  be  raised  from  the  dead, 
to  come  to  this  judgment  ?     Not  a  word  about  it. 


172  ERRONEOUS   TIEWS    OF    A    JUDGMENT. 

Now,  is  it  possible  that  men  of  learning,  of  piety ^ 
and  of  honesty,  can  make  such  an  application  of  this 
subject  themselves  ?  No,  my  friends,  they  do  not 
even  dream  of  such  things  ;  but  men  of  piety,  learn- 
ing and  honesty,  have  made  this  mistake  by  the 
force  of  tradition  and  education,  influences  little 
understood  by  the  common  mind.  They  never 
thought  of  asking  themselves  the  question  whether 
these  things  were  true.  But  all  these  questions 
must  be  asked,  all  these  queries  must  be  put,  and  all 
these  subjects  must  be  looked  into  and  canvassed, 
before  we  can  consent  to  anything  so  incongruous. 
Is  it  such  a  trifling  thing  to  throw  down  the  works 
of  God,  that  it  may  be  done  with  impunity,  without 
proof,  without  evidence  ?  No ;  it  is  too  weighty  a 
subject  to  be  treated  in  this  light  and  incautious 
manner.  These  sentiments  have  done  too  much 
mischief  already  to  be  treated  with  superficial 
observation. 

Now,  that  tMs  passage  does  not  apply  to  such  a 
subject  as  has  been  mentioned,  we  consider  to  be 
very  fairly  proved  by  the  total  silence,  through  the 
context,  with  respect  to  such  a  subject.  But  I  shall 
prove,  my  friends,  another  thing,  to  put  the  matter 


ERRONEOUS   VIEWS   OF    A   JUDGMENT. 


173 


beyond  all  doubt  and  scruple  in  your  minds.  And 
I  have  confidence  in  saying  as  much  as  this,  that  I 
shall  now  prove,  by  the  connection  in  which  this 
passage  is  found,  that  the  fulfilment  of  what  is  here 
stated  took  place  in  the  city  in  which  it  was  spoken, 
and  in  the  lifetime  of  some  then  present.  If  we 
prove  this,  we  overthrow  all  the  use  our  divines 
have  made  of  this  text.  If  we  do  not  prove  it,  we 
fall  short  of  what  we  undertake,  and  you  are  to  go 
away  dissatisfied.  My  friends,  I  do  really  regret 
this  subject  is  so  long  as  to  lead  me  to  be  appre- 
hensive of  tiring  your  patience  before  we  shall  get 
through  it ;  and  yet  I  feel  encouraged  on  account 
of  the  plainness  of  it. 

The  subject  under  consideration  commences  in  the 
twenty-third  chapter  of  this  gospel,  and  continues 
through  the  whole  of  the  twenty-fourth,  and  through 
the  whole  of  the  twenty-fifth;  and  no  man  ever 
understood  it  as  it  ought  to  be  understood,  unless 
he  had  carefully  read  all  the  connection.  At  the 
conclusion  of  the  twenty-third  chapter,  our  Saviour 
was  speaking,  in  the  temple,  to  the  Jews,  concern- 
ing  the  awful  calamities  which  were  coming  upon 
them,  when  they  had  filled  up  the  measure  of  their 
15# 


174 


ERRONEOUS   VIEWS    OF    A   JUDGMENT. 


iniquities.  In  this  discourse,  part  of  which  is  re- 
corded in  the  conclusion  of  the  twenty-third  chapter, 
our  Saviour  had  given  the  people  to  understand  that 
the  city  and  temple  would  be  destroyed.  At  the 
conclusion  of  that  address,  he  expresses  the  feelings 
of  his  heart  for  the  wickedness  of  the  city  of  Jerusa- 
lem ;  and  breaks  out,  "  0  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem, 
thou  that  killest  the  prophets,  and  stonest  them 
which  are  sent  unto  thee,  how  often  would  I  have 
gathered  thy  children  together,  even  as  a  hen 
gathereth  her  chickens  under  her  wings,  and  ye 
would  not !  Behold,  your  house  is  left  unto  you, 
desolate.  For  I  say  unto  you,  ye  shall  not  see  me 
henceforth,  till  ye  shall  say.  Blessed  is  he  that  com- 
eth  in  the  name  of  the  Lord."  He  droppeth  this 
hint,  that  the  time  would  come  when  they  would  see 
him,  and  should  say,  "  Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord."  Now  he  leaves  the  temple, 
and  goes  out  of  it,  and  is  going  out  of  the  city.  His 
disciples  come  immediately  to  show  him  (mark  the 
little  calculation  they  had !)  how  the  temple  was  con- 
structed. It  was  as  much  as  to  say  to  him,  "  You 
prophesy  the  destruction  of  this  temple.  Look  at 
these  massy  rocks,  this  immense  pile,  and  consider 


ERRONEOUS  VIEWS  OF  A  JUDGMENT. 


175 


whether  it  is  reasonable  that  all  these  will  be  thrown 
down."  Our  Saviour  says,  "  There  shall  not  be  one 
stone  upon  another  that  shall  not  be  thrown  down." 
He  then  goes  out  of  the  city,  to  the  Mount  of 
Olives,  which  commanded  a  prospect  of  the  whole 
place;  and  there  he  sat  himself  down.  His  disciples 
come  privately,  and  ask  him,  "  When  shall  these 
things  be  ?  What  shall  be  the  sign  of  thy  coming, 
and  of  the  end  of  the  world  ?"  The  Teacher  pro- 
ceeds directly  to  answer  this  question.  My  friends, 
it  has,  no  doubt,  already  struck  your  minds  that  we 
have  made  a  mistake.  It  is  very  evident,  from  the 
question  the  disciples  stated,  that  they  had  the  end 
of  the  world  in  view ;  and,  therefore,  when  Jesus 
answered  them,  he  answered  that  inquiry ;  and, 
therefore,  he  must  have  had  the  end  of  the  world  in 
view.  It  is  grauted.  They  did  ask  him,  and  he 
did  answer  them  concerning  the  end  of  the  world. 
But,  mark  one  thing.  The  end  of  the  world  here 
means  nothing  concerning  what  people  generally 
mean  by  that  phrase.  It  has  no  reference  to  any 
such  subject. 

I  am  now  going  to  intrude  upon  your  patience, 
with  a  design  of  showing  you  that  our  Saviour,  in 


176  ERRONEOUS   VIEWS   OF   A   JUDGMENT. 

answering  this  question,  alludes  to  nothing  which 
did  not  actually  take  place  in  that  generation  in 
which  he  lived.  "  What !  do  you  mean,"  says  the 
hearer,  "  that  the  end  of  the  world  then  took  place?  " 
Yes,  I  mean  the  end  of  the  world,  as  here  men* 
tioned,  did  then  actually  take  place.  "  Why,  it  is 
impossible,"  says  the  hearer :  "  the  world  still  ex- 
ists !  "  Let  your  humble  servant  read,  and  you  will 
see  the  world  was  at  an  end,  but  not  in  the  sense  in 
which  these  words  are  generally  applied. 

This  I  am  to  make  plain  by  reading.  See  chapter 
twenty-four.  Jesus  wishes  them  to  take  heed ;  and 
he  says,  "  Take  heed  that  no  man  deceive  you ;  for 
many  shall  come  in  my  name,  saying,  I  am  Christ ; 
and  shall  deceive  many.  And  ye  shall  hear  of  wars, 
and  rumors  of  wars ;  see  that  ye  be  not  troubled ; 
for  all  these  things  must  come  to  pass,  but  the  end 
is  not  yet."  The  end  of  what  ?  The  end  of  the 
world !  The  end  of  the  world  is  not  yet !  It  is 
evident  he  meant  the  end  of  that  world  they  asked 
him  about.  "  For  nation  shall  rise  against  nation, 
and  kingdom  against  kingdom ;  and  there  shall  be 
famines,  and  pestilences,  and  earthquakes,  in  divers 
places.      All   these  are  the  beginning  of  sorrow. 


ERRONEOUS    VIEWS   OF    A   JUDGMENT. 


177 


Then  shall  they  deliver  you  up  to  be  afflicted,  and 
shall  kill  you :  and  ye  shall  be  hated  of  all  nations, 
for  my  name's  sake.     And  then  shall  many  be  of- 
fended, and  betray  one  another,  and  shall  hate  one 
another.     And  many  false  prophets  shall  rise,  and  • 
shall   deceive   many.     And  because  iniquity  shall 
abound,  the  love  of  many  shall  wax  cold.     But  he 
that  shall  endure  unto  the  end,  the  same  shall  be 
saved."    The  end  of  what  ?     The  end  of  the  world  ? 
Yes,  the  end  of  the  world.     "  And  this  gospel  shall 
be  preached  in  all  the  world,  for  a  witness  unto  all 
nations ;  and  then  shall  the  end  come."    What !  the 
end  of  the  world  ?     Yes,  the  end  of  the  world ! 
The   end   of  the   same  world  which   the   disciples 
mquired  about.     Now,  he  goes  on:     "When  ye, 
therefore,  shall  see  the  abomination  of  desolation, 
spoken  of  by  Daniel  the  prophet,  stand  in  the  holy 
place  (whoso  readeth  let  him  understand),  then  let 
them  which  be  in  Judea  flee  into  the  mountains." 
What !  will  it  be  possible  to  flee  into  the  mountains 
when   the  world  shall  be  destroyed  ?     "  Let  him 
which  is  on  the  house-top  not  come  down  to  take 
anything  out  of  his  house  :  neither  let  him  which  ifl 
in  the  field  return  back  to  take  his  clothes.     And 


178  ERRONEOUS   VIEWS   OF   A   JUDGMENT. 

woe  unto  them  that  are  with  child,  and  to  them  that 
give  suck,  in  those  days  I  But  pray  ye  that  your 
flight  be  not  in  the  winter,  neither  on  the  Sabbath 
day." 

I  wish  to  have  you  judge  whether  our  Saviour 
here  was  speaking  of  what  our  divines  mean  by  tlm 
end  of  the  world.  What  good  would  it  do  them  to 
flee  into  the  mountains,  if  it  were  such  an  end  of  the 
world  as  they  describe  ?  What  good  could  it  do 
not  to  be  obliged  to  flee  in  the  winter,  or  on  the 
Sabbath  ?  Is  there  the  least  possible  meaning  in  all 
this,  according  to  the  common  understanding  of  our 
divines  ?  But,  if  our  Saviour  meant  by  it  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem,  by  its  being  environed  with 
the  Roman  armies,  —  if  he  meant  that  the  Roman 
standard  should  be  in  that  temple,  —  it  is  all  per- 
fectly well  understood.  Then,  it  would  be  awful 
for  females,  and  particularly  those  in  such  circum- 
stances as  he  mentioned,  to  be  overtaken  with  such 
usage  as  might  be  expected  from  the  soldiers. 
"  For  then  shall  be  great  tribulation,  such  as  was 
not  since  the  beginning  of  the  world  to  this  time ; 
no,  nor  ever  shall  be."  See  Matt.  24 :  22—27.  "For 
wheresoever  the  carcass  is,  there  will  the  eagles  be 


jaiRONEOUS   VIKWS   OF    A   JUDGMENT. 


179 


gathered  together."  That  is,  the  Roman  eagles. 
"And  immediately  after  the  tribulation  of  those 
days  shall  the  sun  be  darkened,  and  the  moon  shall 
not  give  her  light,  and  the  stars  shall  fall  from 
heaven,  and  the  powers  of  the  heavens  shall  be 
shaken.  And  then  shall  appear  the  sign  of  the 
Son  of  man  in  heaven  ;  and  then  shall  all  the  tribes 
of  the  earth  mourn,  and  they  shall  see  the  Son  of 
man  coming  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  with  power 
and  great  glory.  And  he  shall  send  his  angels  with 
a  great  sound  of  a  trumpet ;  and  they  shall  gather 
together  his  elect  from  the  four  winds,  from  one  end 
of  heaven  to  the  other."  Remember  this  language 
is  all  in  the  connection,  and  all  relates  to  the  same 
subject. 

"  Now  learn  a  parable  of  the  fig-tree  :  When  his 
branch  is  yet  tender,  and  putteth  forth  leaves,  ye 
know  that  summer  is  nigh ;  so  likewise  ye,  when 
ye  shall  see  all  these  things,  know  that  it  is  near, 
even  at  the  doors.     Verily  I  say  unto  you,  this 

GENERATION  shall    TLOt   paSS  TILL  ALL   THESE    THINGS 

BE  FULFILLED.  Hcavcn  and  earth  shall  pass  away, 
but  my  word  shall  not  pass  away."  My  hearers, 
do  you  now  understand  ?     Here  is  given  an  account 


180  ERRONEOUS    VIEWS   OF    A    JUDGMENT. 

of  the  end  of  the  world ;  and,  as  our  Saviour  de- 
clared, these  things  took  place  in  that  generation. 
*'  But,"  says  the  hearer,  "  what  does  it  mean  by  say- 
ing that  it  was  the  end  of  the  world  ?  "  My  friends, 
it  means  nothing  more  nor  less  than  the  end  of  the 
Jewish  dispensation  and  hierarchy,  in  which  the 
Jews  received  the  law  by  Moses.  This  is  doing  no 
violence  to  the  passage.  The  very  meaning  of  the 
original  is  dispensation.  The  same  word  is  used  by 
our  Saviour,  when  he  says  to  his  disciples  "  I  will 
be  with  you  always,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world." 
This  is  the  same  word,  and  it  here  means  the  end 
of  the  gospel  dispensation ;  and  in  the  passage  un- 
der consideration  it  means  the  end  of  the  legal  dis- 
pensation, at  the  destruction  of  the  house  of  Israel. 
Did  not  our  Saviour  show  that  it  was  in  his  power 
to  fulfil  all  his  words  on  that  subject?  and  have  they 
not  been  completely  fulfilled  ?  for  the  Jews,  as  a 
people,  have  been  in  everlasting  torment  ever  since 
their  destruction.  And,  if  you  will  turn  over  the 
historic  page,  you  will  see  how  awfully  those  cul- 
prits have  been  visited,  —  exactly  with  all  the  curses 
that  have  been  pronounced  by  Moses,  and  also  with 
all  our  Saviour  denounced  against  them.     The  Jews 


ERRONEOUS    VIEWS   OF   A    JUDGMENT. 


181 


were  placed  on  the  left  hand,  when  they  were  to  be 
miserably  destroyed  by  the  Komans ;  and,  if  we  go 
further,  we  find  this  their  calamity  limited  and  con- 
fined to  the  present  state  of  existence.  Turn  to  the 
twenty- sixth  chapter  of  Leviticus.  Read  all  that 
occurs  there;  read  also  the  twenty-eighth  and 
twenty-ninth  chapters  of  Deuteronomy,  and  you 
will  find  that  Moses  never  alluded  in  any  of  his 
writings,  he  never  suggested,  that  the  Jewish  peo- 
ple should  be  punished  in  another  world.  He  told 
them  that  they  should  be  punished  by  captivity, 
by  famine,  by  pestilence,  but  he  never  alluded  to 
anything  beyond  this  state  of  existence;  and  per- 
mit me  here  to  observe,  when  upon  this  very  sub- 
ject, what  St.  Luke  says  (Luke  21 :  22),  —  "  For 
these  be  the  days  of  vengeance,  that  all  things  which 
are  written  may  be  fulfilled."  Our  Saviour  never 
denounced  any  curses  that  were  not  written  in  the 
law.  He  never  denounced  any  judgment  in  another 
world.  He  came  not  to  destroy  the  law  or  the 
prophets,  but  to  fulfil  the  law. 

"  But,"  says  the  hearer,  "  if  this  language  mean 
only  the  misery  of  the  Jews,  why  is  the  word  fire 
made  use  of?  "     "  Everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the 
16 


182  ERRONEOUS   VIEWS    OF   A   JUDGYiENT. 

devil  and  his  angels."  The  word  fire  is  frequently 
made  use  of  in  scripture  to  represent  misery,  de- 
struction, and  torment.  Particularly  as  we  read  in 
Ezekiel  (ch.  22;  18—22,  inclusive), —  «  Son  of 
man,  the  house  of  Israel  is  to  me  become  dross :  all 
they  are  brass,  and  tin,  and  iron,  and  lead,  in  the 
mi^st  of  the  furnace ;  they  are  even  the  dross  of 
silver.  I  will  gather  you,  and  blow  upon  you  in  the 
fire  of  my  wrath ;  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  the 
Lord  have  poured  out  my  fury  upon  you."  (See 
the  passage  in  full.)  And,  in  the  language  of  our 
Saviour  under  consideration,  spoken  to  the  Jewish 
people,  he  no  doubt  alludes  to  the  same  thing,  and 
means  they  shall  be  gathered  together,  and  suffer  all 
the  torments  and  afflictions  which  were  written  in 
their  law  against  them  by  their  lawgiver.  Now,  turn 
again  to  the  twenty-sixth  chapter  of  Leviticus,  where 
God  promises,  after  this  destruction,  after  this  visit- 
ation, if  their  hearts  repent,  and  they  turn  to  him, 
and  acknowledge  him,  that  he  will  fulfil  his  cove- 
nant with  Abraham,  with  Isaac,  and  with  Jacob ;  and 
our  Saviour,  in  the  conclusion  of  his  denunciation, 
says,  "  Ye  shall  not  see  me  henceforth,  till  ye  say, 
Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord." 


ERRONEOUS    VIEWS   OF   A   JUDGMENT. 


183 


We  shall  not  much  longer  detain  you.  We  shall 
say  one  word  more  before  we  close,  and  that  shall  be 
said  to  remove  any  objection  which  some  may  sus- 
tain in  supposing  that  we  have  not  comprehended 
the  whole  subject.  Now,  the  hearer  may  say,  "  I 
cannot  understand  why  Christ  should  allude  to  his 
coming  with  his  angels  and  in  the  glory  of  his 
Father,  before  that  event  took  place,  if  it  did  not 
mean  when  he  should  come  at  the  end  of  the  world." 
I  have  an  answer  to  this,  which  I  am  persuaded  will 
be  satisfactory  to  every  one  who  shall  understand  it. 
We  see  that  our  Saviour  said,  all  these  things  shall 
take  place  in  that  generation.  And  in  the  six- 
teenth chapter  of  St.  Matthew,  towards  the  end  of 
the  chapter,  he  says, "  For  the  Son  of  man  shall  come 
in  the  glory  of  his  Father,  with  his  angels ;  and  then 
he  shall  reward  every  man  according  to  his  works. 
Verily  I  say  unto  you,  There  be  some  standing  here 
which  shall  not  taste  of  death  till  they  see  the  Son 
of  man  coming  in  his  kingdom."  That  is  to  say,  it 
would  be  in  the  lifetime  of  those  who  were  present. 
This  is  represented  exactly  in  the  same  way  in  the 
last  part  of  the  eighth  chapter  and  in  the  first  part 
of  the  ninth  chapter  of  the  gospel  according  to  St. 


184  ERRONEOUS   VIEWS   OF   A   JIIDGSIENT. 

Mark,  —  "Whosoever  shall  be  ashamed  of  me  and 
my  words  in  this  adulterous  and  sinful  genera- 
tion, of  him  also  shall  the  Son  of  man  be  ashamed, 
when  he  cometh  in  the  glory  of  his  Father  with  the 
holy  angels."  The  same  will  be  found  in  the  ninth 
chapter  of  the  gospel  according  to  St.  Luke ;  in  all 
of  which  we  have  the  assertion  that  some  of  those 
standing  there  should  not  taste  of  death  till  they 
saw  the  kingdom  of  God. 

Now,  all  this,  if  carefully  gone  over,  will  show 
you  that  the  time  to  which  our  Saviour  alluded  was 
the  generation  in  which  he  lived.  I  will  only  refer 
you  to  these  passages  :  Read  the  latter  part  of  the 
twenty-third  chapter  of  St.  Matthew,  the  whole  of 
the  twenty-fourth,  the  eighth  and  ninth  chapters 
of  Mark,  the  twenty-first  chapter  of  St.  Luke,  and 
the  twenty-third  chapter  of  the  prophet  Jeremiah. 
Look  carefully  into  these  passages ;  study  them  in 
your  families ;  and  you  will  be  satisfied  with  this 
one  truth,  namely,  that  the  subject  under  consid- 
eration was  never  designed  by  our  blessed  Saviour 
to  record  the  awful  doctrine  taught  us  by  Christian 
divines ;  and  I  cannot  help  congratulating  you  on 
feeling  a  conviction  on  this  subject.     What  a  reKef 


ERRONEOUS    VIEWS   OP   A   JUDGMENT.  185 

will  it  be  to  your  souls  to  be  delivered  from  such 
an  awful  foreboding!  The  calamities  our  blessed 
Saviour  alluded  to  were  calamities  which  would 
fall  on  Jerusalem  in  that  generation ;  and  they 
did  so.  But  he  never  did  utter  one  word  about  the 
awful  punishments  hereafter  which  are  supposed 
by  our  divines  to  be  threatened  in  this  passage. 
When  he  was  going  to  the  cross,  multitudes  of  ten- 
der females  followed  him,  weeping  for  his  fate ;  and 
he  turned  and  said  to  them,  "  Daughters  of  Jeru- 
salem, weep  not  for  me,  but  weep  for  youi-selves  and 
for  your  children.  For,  behold  the  days  are  com- 
ing, in  the  which  they  shall  say.  Blessed  are  the 
barren,  and  the  wombs  that  never  bear,  &c.  Then 
shall  they  begin  to  say  to  the  mountains,  Fall  on  us ; 
to  the  hills,  Cover  us."  Why  did  he  not  tell  them 
to  weep  for  themselves  and  children,  for  that  they 
must  be  banished  from  God,  and  burnt  in  thejlames 
of  hell  as  long  as  heaven  should  exist  ?  AVhy  did 
he  talk  about  the  approach  of  the  enemy  and  the 
destruction  of  their  temple,  and  say  nothing  about 
the  torments  that  awaited  them  in  another  world? 
It  was  for  this  very  good  reason,  —  the  former  was 
in  his  mind,  the  latter  was  not.  He  never  thought 
16# 


186  ERRONEOCS    YIEWS    OF    A    JUDGMENT. 

of  any  such  thing.  No,  blessed  be  God,  there  is  no 
eternal  destruction  for  the  children  of  men  !  Will 
you  say,  "  He  uses  particularly  the  word  everlast- 
ing "  ?  If  you  will  read,  you  will  find  that  many 
of  those  things  which  are  called  everlasting  had 
their  whole  existence  in  time.  The  land  of  Canaan 
was  an  everlasting  possession  to  the  house  of  Israel, 
the  covenant  of  Levi  was  everlasting  ;  but  they 
were  not  endless.  Everlasting  means  duration  for 
a  long  time.  There  is  nothing  said  here  about  a 
future  state  of  existence.  You  can  examine  this, 
and  make  the  subject  familiar  to  yourselves.  Do 
not  believe  those  who  tell  you  that  it  is  dangerous 
to  do  this.  It  is  dangerous  only  to  BIGOTRY. 
There  is  no  danger  in  inquiring  after  the  truth. 
Those  who  disobey  God's  commandments,  who  abuse 
his  word,  who  trample  his  precepts  under  their  feet, 
shall  meet  with  trouble  and  sorrow  ;  and  then  this 
passage  is  fulfilled,  —  "  All  transgressions  and  diso- 
bedience must  meet  with  a  due  recompense  of  re- 
ward." This  we  know  by  experience,  and  we  need 
not  go  into  eternity  for  it.  It  occurs  in  the  present 
time.  Those  who  do  well  are  blessed,  and  those 
who  do  evil  are  cursed.     Those  who  believe  the 


ERRONEOUS    VIEWS   OF   A   JUDGMENT. 


187 


truth  DO  enter  into  rest ;  but  those  who  ivorship 
the  BEAST  and  his  image  are  ivretched  and  misera- 
ble. But,  my  dear  friends,  when  you  hear  the 
word  of  God,  you  will  treasure  it  up  and  obey  it ; 
make  it  dear  to  your  souls,  follow  the  religion  of 
Christ  Jesus,  and  you  will  be  blessed  in  the  same. 


SERMON  XI  * 


And  I  WILL  GIVE  you  pastors  ACCORDIXG  to  MIXE  HEAItT, 
WHICH  SHALL  FEED  TOU  WITH  KNOWLEDGE  AXD  UNDER- 
STANDING. —  Jeremiali  3  :  15. 


In  this  text  is  contained  a  divine  promise  that  the 
gospel  shall  be  preached  to  men ;  and  by  this  prom- 
ise we  are  informed  that  our  heavenly  Father,  in  the 
gift  of  this  ministry,  would  not  make  it  subject  to 
the  wisdom  of  the  world  which  cometh  to  naught, 
but  would  regulate  it  according  to  his  own  wisdom, 
as  in  the  text,  —  "I  will  give  you  pastors  according 
to  mine  heart."  Thus  it  is  understood  that  the 
ministry  which  God  appoints  i.^  appointed  not  only 
by  his  wisdom,  but  is  endowed  with  that  wisdom, 
that  temper  and  that  grace,  which  is  according  to 
the  will  and  disposition  of  God,  —  "I  will  give  you 
pastors  according  to  mine  heart."     According  to  the 

*  This  discourse  was  preached  in  the  saloon  of  Wash- 
ington Hall,  to  an  audience  of  about  seven  thousand  per- 
sons. 


FEAST   OF   KNOWLEDGE.  189 

text  read  for  consideration,  the  ministry  itself,  and 
its  pastors,  being  appointed  after  God's  own  heart, 
shall  feed  the  people  with  knowledge  and  under- 
standing. It  implies  that  the  pastors  should  preach 
those  things  which  they  know  to  be  true,  and  which 
the  people  can  understand ;  for  we  learn  from  the 
text  that  they  shall  be  endowed  with  understanding 
and  with  knowledge ;  —  and,  being  thus  endued, 
they  must  know  that  they  never  feed  the  people 
with  understanding,  unless  they  preach  to  them 
what  they  can  understand. 

Now,  in  the  first  place,  my  friendly  hearers,  when 
God  appoints  pastors  to  the  people  according  to  his 
heart,  they  are  educated  by  his  wisdom,  they  are 
actuated  by  his  will,  and  they  are  employed  en- 
tirely in  the  promulgation  of  that  which  is  consist- 
ent with  the  mind  of  him  that  sent  them.  When 
the  wisdom  of  the  world  appoints  a  ministry,  it  ap- 
points a  ministry  according  to  its  own  heart  and  its 
own  wisdom.  If  any  church  appoints  a  ministry, 
it  appoints  it  according  to  its  own  heart,  and  ac- 
cording to  its  own  interests.  Thus  we  may  say 
(and  I  hope  without  giving  offence),  that  if  any  par- 
ticular theological  school  appoints  a  ministry  and 


190  FEAST    OF   KNOWLEDGE. 

sends  fortli  ministers,  both  the  ministry  and  the 
ministers  will  be  according  to  the  wisdom,  the  will 
and  disposition,  of  that  theological  school.  Such  a 
school  as  the  theological  institution  at  Jerusalem, 
where  Gamaliel  was  the  doctor  or  teacher,  would 
furnish  such  a  ministry,  and  such  a  minister  as  Saul 
of  Tarsus,  the  person  who  was  an  enemy  to  Jesus 
Christ,  an  enemy  to  the  gospel,  an  enemy  to  all  that 
named  the  name  of  Christ ;  and  yet  Saul  was  faith- 
ful to  the  theological  school  that  appointed  him,  and 
endeavored  to  promote  the  honor,  dignity  and  au- 
thority, of  those  that  sent  him  forth.  None  but 
Grod  himself,  through  the  mediation  of  his  blessed 
Son  Jesus,  could  make  such  a  minister  as  St.  Paul, 
who  was  converted  from  the  school  and  doctrine  in 
which  he  tiad  been  educated,  and  was  adopted  as  the 
child  of  Jesus  Christ,  —  adopted  into  the  school  of 
our  great  Redeemer ;  and,  as  before  he  had  no  other 
interest  but  the  interest  of  the  church  that  ap- 
pointed him,  so  now  he  has  no  other  interest  but  the 
interest  of  the  Almighty,  who  converted  him  and 
appointed  him  to  the  labors  of  the  gospel,  whereby 
he  now  becomes  a  disciple  of  the  meek  and  lowly 
Jesus.     He  has  no  interest  to  promote  or  serve  but 


FEAST   OF   KNOWLEDGE.  191 

the  interest  of  the  crucified  lledeemer  ;  and,  being 
brought  into  his  service,  he  boldly  proclaims  the 
gosjDel  of  the  Son  of  God.  I  would  add,  it  is  very 
practicable  and  possible,  from  motives  which  have  a 
peculiar  influence  on  the  human  mind,  for  an  indi- 
vidual to  appoint  himself  to  the  work  of  the  minis- 
try, and  set  himself  up  as  a  teacher ;  and  he  will 
tell  you  it  is  dangerous  not  to  believe  and  not  to 
receive  his  preaching  as  truth,  because  he  is  a  minis- 
ter after  God's  heart.  How  shall  we  know  whether 
he  is  or  not  ?  Remember  the  words  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  —  "He  that  speaketh  of  himself 
seeketh  his  ow7i  glory."  My  friends,  you  may 
always  knovi^  a  false  teacher  from  a  true  one.  It  is 
the  easiest  thing  in  the  world.  How  will  you  know 
him  ?  He  will  always  set  himself  up  above  God. 
He  will  always  represent  himself  to  be  more  lovely, 
if  possible,  than  he  will  allow  our  Saviour  to  be.  He 
will  tell  you  how  much  he  would  do  to  save  you. 
He  would  lay  down  his  life  to  save  one  poor  soul ; 
but  he  will  not  allow  the  Redeemer,  who  did  lay 
down  his  life  for  us,  the  power  of  saving  you.  Now, 
which  is  best,  the  preacher,  or  his  master  ?  Why, 
according  to  his  own  account,  the  preacher.     Yes, 


192  FEAST   OF    KNOWLEDGE. 

he  is  the  best  himself;  because,  in  the  room  of  be- 
ing in  the  cause  of  his  Divine  JNIaster,  he  is  in  his 
own  cause.  And,  instead  of  endeavoring  to  get 
people  to  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  he  is  inter- 
ested in  making  them  love  himself;  for  he  is  holding 
himself  up  as  being  more  interested  in  their  salva- 
tion than  he  will  allow  the  Redeemer  to  be.  My 
hearers,  there  is  no  difl&culty  in  determining  this 
question,  in  distinguishing  a  minister  of  the  Lord 
from  a  minister  of  the  wisdom  of  this  world.  The 
minister  of  this  world's  wisdom  has  not  the  cause 
of  Grod,  nor  of  our  Redeemer,  to  promote.  Mankind, 
in  their  carnal  hearts,  have  not  the  interest  of  the 
gospel  to  promote.  They  will  persuade  you  to 
believe  that  in  God's  hands  you  are  not  safe ;  that 
all  God  has  done,  that  all  Jesus  Christ  has  done,  for 
you,  will  not  secure  you,  but,  if  you  will  subscribe  to 
their  creed,  you  will  be  secure.  Now,  really,  these 
people  stand  directly  between  God  and  the  human 
family ;  and  they  try  to  direct  all  our  attention  to 
themselves,  and  not  to  God. 

I  will  name  a  few  things,  which  I  humbly  ask 
you  to  hear,  and  charitably  to  consider ;  for  I  call 
God  to  witness,  I  feel  no  enmity  towards  any  name 


FEAST    OF    KNOWLEDGE. 


193 


denomination  or  sect,  under  lieavcii ;  but  I  have  a 
certain  object  in  view,  which  comes  in  contact  with 
their  errors.  I  shall  lay  before  you  some  of  them. 
I  shall  present  to  your  notice  certain  things  preached 
and  held  up  as  doctrine  in  the  Christian  church,  and 
as  the  doctrine  of  the  gospel,  which  are  indispensa- 
ble articles  of  faith.  I  will  not  undertake  to  prove 
them  false,  but  will  only  ask.  Do  those  who  preach 
them  know  them  to  be  true  ?  I  will  ask,  at  the 
same  time,  this  question,  Do  they  understand  them, 
and  are  the  people  capable  of  understanding  them  ? 
and  if  we  are  convinced  that  no  man  can  understand 
such  doctrines,  then  we  know  that  they  never  could 
give  people  knowledge. 

In  the  first  place.  What  is  so  difficult  to  believe 
as  what  is  called  in  Orthodox  divinity  an  indispens- 
able article  of  the  Christian  faith,  namely,  the  fall 
of  man  through  Adam's  transgression,  the  conse- 
quence of  which  extends  to  all  posterity  ?  The 
offence  of  Adam  was  not  visited  upon  himself  alone ; 
but  all  the  generations  that  existed,  or  shall  exist, 
are  made  liable,  not  only  to  all  the  miseries  of  this 
life,  and  death  itself,  but  to  the  pains  of  hell  for- 
ever. My  friends,  I  say  I  have  not  now  an  oppor- 
17 


194  FEAST   OF   KNOWLEDGE. 

tuiiity  to  disprove  this  doctrine.  I  will  not  now 
labor  to  disprove  it ;  I  shall  only  ask,  Was  this  doc- 
trine ever  known  to  be  a  fact  by  any  man  living  ? 
Bid  ever  any  man  possess  such  a  knowledge  as  to 
come  forward  and  say  he  hiew  this  doctrine  to  be  a 
fact  ?  I  ask  again,  Was  there  ever  a  man  in  the 
world  who  could  understand  it,  if  it  were  a  fact  ? 
Was  it  ever  explained  that  God,  who  is  not  the 
friend  of  sin,  made  all  his  human  creatures,  from 
the  transgression  of  Adam,  liable  to  sin  to  all  eter- 
nity ?  Because,  without  a  miracle,  it  could  not  be 
that  the  fall  of  Adam  would  entail  misery  on  all 
mankind.  It  must  be  by  a  miracle.  But  was  it 
ever  understood  by  any  human  being  ?  "  No,"  says 
the  hearer,  "  I  never  could  understand  it."  No, 
my  hearers ;  and  those  who  preach  such  a  doctrine 
do  not  understand  this  doctrine  better  than  you. 
There  never  was  a  man  who  did.  I  am  saying 
nothing,  at  present,  about  its  not  being  true ;  but  I 
say  all  those  who  preach  it  never  knew  the  fact 
themselves ;  they  never  understood  it  themselves, 
nor  made  anybody  else  understand  it.  It  is  just  as 
much  in  the  dark  now,  as  when  it  was  invented  by 
the  wisdom  of  the  world. 


FEAST    OP    KNOWLEDGE. 


195 


Anotber  doctrine,  or  point  of  doctrine,  considered 
as  indispensable,  is  that  which  is  termed  particular 
election  and  reprobation ;  in  which  it  is  taught 
that  God  from  all  eternity  elected  a  few  individuals 
here  and  there,  and  ordained  that  they  should  enjoy 
everlasting  life  and  happiness  in  the  world  to  come, 
while,  by  his  own  wisdom,  he  dooms  far  the  greater 
part  to  everlasting  misery ;  and  all  this  was  fixed 
and  determined  in  his  own  mind  before  man  was 
created.  I  will  not  attempt  to  prove  such  a  doc- 
trine false,  because  it  would  be  a  kind  of  reflection 
on.  your  good  sense.  If  such  a  doctrine  were  true, 
was  there  ever  a  man  that  knew  it  to  be  so  ?  and  I 
ask  again.  Was  it  ever  explained  to  the  understand- 
ing of  any  person,  so  that  he  could  understand  it, 
as  a  matter  of  fact  ?  No  ;  for  those  who  proclaim 
it  tell  you  that  it  is  one  of  the  hidden  mysteries  of 
Almighty  God.  I  should  rather  say,  it  is  one  of 
the  mysteries  of  iniquity.  I  say  it  is  a  proposition 
which  no  man  could  ever  understand ;  and  no  man 
who  ever  preached  it  to  the  people  fed  them  with 
knowledge  while  he  was  preaching  it. 

Another  doctrine,  that  has  been  held  in  equal  esti- 
mation in  the  Christian  church  by  doctors  of  divin- 


196  FEAST   OF   KNOWLEDGE. 

ity,  is  this  :  that  we,  as  we  come  into  the  world,  are 
naturally  opposed  to  our  Creator,  and  all  his  com- 
mands. My  friends,  if  this  were  a  fact,  is  there  a 
man  in  all  the  world  who  could  say  he  kneiu  it  ? 
Is  there  a  man  who  could  say  he  understood  it  ? 
No.  Were  such  a  doctrine  a  ti*uth,  it  is  impossible 
that  it  should  be  known  or  understood  by  man.  I 
will  call  your  attention  to  the  consideration  of  the 
testimony  of  the  blessed  Jesus,  who,  on  account  of  a 
certain  controversy,  called  to  him  a  little  child ;  and 
he  said  to  his  disciples,  "  Except  ye  be  converted, 
and  become  as  this  little  child,  ye  shall  in  no  case 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  What  was  the 
condition  of  the  child  ?  According  to  the  doctrine 
I  have  just  mentioned,  it  was  opposed  to  God.  It 
was  a  being  entirely  deprived  of  communion  with 
God.  And  yet,  my  dear  hearers,  our  Saviour  was 
speaking  of  his  disciples'  being  converted,  and 
becoming  like  a  little  child,  in  order  to  enter  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  I  ask  you.  Can  you  reconcile 
such  testimony  with  the  common  doctrine  of  the 
depraved  disposition  of  little  children  ?  No,  it 
cannot  be  reconciled,  and  people  are  not  fed  with 
knowledge  or  understanding  when  they  are  taught 


FEAST    OF   KNOWLEDGE. 


197 


such  doctrine.  It  will  not  be  dou])ted  that  little 
children  are  in  a  state  of  simple  nature ;  and  yet 
our  Saviour  says,  "Suffer  little  children  to  come 
unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not ;  for  of  such  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven." 

Another  doctrine  that  has  been  held  in  equal 
estimation  by  the  Christian  church,  which  has  been 
taught  by  doctors  of  divinity,  and  which,  of  course, 
demands  our  notice  here,  is  concerning  the  exposure 
of  all  mankind  to  the  pains  of  hell  forever,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  transgression  of  Adam  ;  and  yet  the 
eternal  security  of  some,  according  to  the  election 
of  <yrace.  Do  not  these  doctors  say  that  from  all 
eternity  some  were  elected  to  everlasting  life  ? 
Yes.  Did  they  understand  this?  Did  they 
understand  that  those  who  were  elected  from  all 
eternity  to  everlasting  life  were  made  liable  to  the 
pains  of  hell  forever,  by  the  transgression  of  Adam  ? 
No  ;  they  did  not  understand  it,  because  that  would 
make  it  appear  that  the  Almighty  was  inconsistent. 
Did  they  understand  what  they  said,  when  they 
intimated  that  not  only  those  who  were  not  elected, 
but  even  those  who  were  elected,  were  doomed,  from 
all  eternity,  to  endure  endless  misery,  for  Adam's 
17# 


198  FEAST    OF    KNOWLEDGE. 

transgression  ?  Thej  certainly  did  not,  because 
one  proposition  is  in  diametrical  opposition  to  the 
other ;  and  when  this  doctrine  is  taught  to  the 
people,  they  are  neither  fed  with  IcTwwledge  nor 
understanding. 

Another  doctrine,  in  intimate  connection  with  the 
others  I  have  mentioned,  amounts  to  tliis  :  that,  as 
we  exist  naturally,  and  were  brought  forth  into  tho 
world,  it  is  not  in  our  power  to  think  of  or  to  per- 
form one  single  action  well  pleasing  to  God  ;  that 
we  sin  in  everything  we  do,  till  we  are  regenerated, 
or  born  aojain.  Is  this  doctrine  understood  ?  Is  it 
a  fact  that,  when  a  man  takes  care  of  his  family, 
when  he  loves  his  companion,  when  he  feeds  and 
clothes  all  those  who  are  dependent  on  him,  that  he 
cannot,  that  he  does  not,  do  right  ?  Is  there  any- 
thing like  this  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Scriptures,  or 
the  word  of  Grod  ?  No.  Does  any  man  understand 
it  ?  No  man.  Then  no  man  can  be  fed  with 
knowledge  by  it. 

Another  doctrine  which  I  wish  to  name  is  one 
universally  contended  for  in  the  Christian  church. 
It  is,  that  God  has  seen  fit,  in  his  wisdom,  not  to 
punish  sin  in  this  world,  where  it  is  committed,  —  he 


FEAST    OF    KNOWLEDGE. 


109 


does  not  reward  virtue  here,  where  it  is  practised, 
—  but  in  another  world,  where  we  hope  to  be  more 
virtuous  than  we  are  here.  Do  the  clergy  know 
God  does  not  punish  wickedness  in  this  world  ?  No. 
1  have  a  question  to  put  to  those  who  administer 
the  penal  laws  of  our  country,  and  also  to  those  who 
make  them.  I  would  ask  them  whether,  in  their 
view,  we  can  do  best  in  society  without  the  law  or 
with  it.  "  Why,  with  it,  to  be  §ure."  Very  well. 
Is  not  the  administration  of  public  justice  declared 
in  the  Scriptures  to  be  of  God  ?  and  are  not  rulers 
ministers  of  God  for  good,  to  be  a  terror  to  evil 
doers,  and  a  praise  to  those  who  do  well,  and  who 
hold  not  the  sword  in  vain  ?  Are  these  laws  and 
these  punishments  according  to  the  wisdom  of  God  ? 
So  far  as  they  are  just,  they  certainly  are.  God 
has  ordained  laws  on  earth  by  which  vice  is  pun- 
ished, and  we  see  the  wicked  are  miserable  beings 
in  the  present  time.  Every  day  we  are  under  the 
necessity  of  punishing  those  who  commit  crime,  and 
every  day's  exj^erience  convinces  us  that  the  way  of 
the  transgressor  is  hard.  "  There  is  no  peace  to  the 
wicked,  saith  my  God."  Is  it  true  that  man  is 
made  happy  by  living  in  sin  ?     Is  it  a  fact  that  the 


L 


200  FEAST    OF    KNOWLEDGE. 

righteous  live  in  misery,  wretchedness  and  want,  in 
this  world  ?  You  know  to  the  contrary.  When 
your  eyes  are  open,  when  you  inspect  the  state  of 
society,  and  look  around  you,  you  see  that  those  who 
live  in  peace  and  happiness  are  the  virtuous  part  of 
the  community ;  they  are  those  who  honor  God  by 
obeying  his  commandments. 

Look  at  those  who  are  destitute  of  the  enjoyments 
of  this  world,  —  who  are  crushed  under  misery, 
wretchedness  and  degradation.  Has  righteousness 
brought  them  to  this  ?  Has  a  godly  life  brought 
them  to  this  ?  "I  have  been  young,"  says  the 
Psalmist,  "  and  now  I  am  old  ;  yet  have  I  not  seen 
the  righteous  forsaken,  nor  his  seed  begging  bread." 
If  3'^ou  will  look  into  the  miseries  of  this  description, 
and  see  the  dreadful  calamities  which  afflict  the 
wicked,  you  will  see  that  God  has  inseparably  con- 
nected sin  with  misery,  and  righteousness  with  hap- 
piness, in  the  present  life.  Hence,  then,  when  you 
are  told  that  sin  is  not  punished  in  this  world,  you 
must  know  it  is  false ;  and  when  you  are  told  virtue 
does  not  make  a  man  happy  in  this  world,  you  are 
told  what  every  man  knows  to  be  untrue.     When 


FEAST   OF   KNOWLEDGE.  201 

this  doctrine  is  preached,  the  people  are  not  fed  with 
knowledge  or  understanding. 

And  lastly,  upon  this  subject,  I  will  mention 
another  thing  which  is  considered  indispensable, 
according  to  the  creed  of  the  church,  namely,  that 
God  who  made  us  will  make  a  great  portion  of  us 
eternally  miserable ;  and  you  cannot  be  a  suitable 
member  of  the  Christian  church,  it  is  supposed, 
unless  you  believe  this  fundamental  article  of  their 
creed ;  or,  being  a  member,  you  must  be  excluded 
unless  you  continue  to  hold  it  sacred  and  true.  Is 
this  honorable  to  God  ?  Is  it  honorable  to  his 
creatures  ?  How  awful  is  the  idea  !  To  say  that 
God  will  employ  himself,  or,  what  is  the  same  thing, 
his  agent,  in  tormenting  the  creatures  he  has  made ! 
If  this  be  honorable  to  God,  I  ask  the  question. 
What  is  dishonorable  to  him  ?  Many  of  you,  my 
hearers,  are  parents;  and  could  I  dishonor  you  more, 
on  my  return  home,  than  to  say  the  parents  in  the 
city  of  Philadelphia,  out  of  a  large  family,  selected 
two  or  three  as  favorites,  and  made  the  rest  misera- 
ble ?  It  would  be  asked.  What  do  they  do  this  for  ? 
For  their  honor,  and  for  the  gratification  of  the  two 
or  three  favorites  !     They  could  not  enjoy  happiness 


202  FEAST    OF   KNOWLEDGE. 

or  felicity,  if  their  brothers  and  sisters  were  blessed 
as  much  as  themselves  !  I  could  not  dishonor  you 
more  than  by  doing  this  ;  and,  thank  God,  I  could 
not  tell  a  greater  falsehood  !  But,  when  divines  tell 
you  this  story  about  God,  such  is  the  force  of  educa- 
tion and  superstition,  that  you  find  no  fault  with  it. 
But  it  has  got  to  be  time  for  people  to  open  their 
eyes  and  ask,  "  Where  have  we  been  walking  ? " 
May  God  forgive  those  who  have  taught  such  a 
doctrine ;  and  may  he  obliterate  it  from  the  human 
heart,  and  take  it  away  from  society !  ^ 

I  shall  refrain  from  remarking  on  these  subjects, 
to  ask  your  attention,  a  few  moments,  to  what  you 
can  understand.  Our  text  says,  "  They  shall  .feed 
you  with  knowledge  and  with  understanding."  Our 
blessed  Saviour  went  before  his  disciples.  He  taught 
them  in  his  own  school ;  he  taught  them  how  to 
teach ;  and  what  was  the  doctrine  he  preached  to 
the  people  ?  "Ye  have  heard  that  it  was  said  by 
them  of  old  time.  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  and 
hate  thine  enemy :  but  I  say  unto  you,  Love  your 
enemies,  bless  them  that  curse  you,  do  good  to  them 
that  hate  you,  and  pray  for  them  which  despitefully 

*  See  Note  E. 


rHAST    OF    KNOWLEDGE.  203 

use  you,  and  persecute  you ;  that  ye  may  be  the 
children  of  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  :  for  he 
maketh  his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good, 
and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust." 

Do,  my  friends,  let  me  compare  this  with  the  doc- 
trine of  our  divines.  Did  you  ever  hear  them 
preach  on  personal  election,  and  undertake  to  demon- 
strate it  by  such  a  simile  as  this  ?  No,  they  never 
preach  it ;  and  the  reason  is,  it  would  make  Grod 
better  than  themselves !  But  our  blessed  Saviour 
preached  the  universality  and  impartiality  of  the 
blessings  of  Providence,  in  order  to  discover  the 
excellency  of  his  heavenly  Father,  that  we  might 
know  his  nature,  and  always  love  him.  You  need 
not  go  to  the  creed  of  man  to  find  out  the  excellency 
of  that  knowledge  and  understanding  wherewith 
Christ  fed  his  disciples.  Your  blessed  Saviour 
comes  to  the  affection  of  your  hearts,  —  "  What  man 
is  there,  if  his  son  ask  bread,  will  he  give  him  a 
stone  ?  or,  if  he  ask  a  fish,  will  he  give  him  a  serpent  ? 
If  ye,  then,  being  evil,  know  how  to  give  good 
things  to  your  children,  how  much  more  will  your 
Father  in  heaven  give  good  things  to  them  that  ask 
him  !  "      Did  you  ever  hear  similes  like  this  offered 


204  FEAST    OF   KNOWLEDGE. 

to  prove  the  doctrine  of  the  church  ?  No ;  but  I 
can  demonstrate  what  I  say  by  your  own  hearts. 
You  know  you  take  a  pleasure  and  delight  in  doing 
good  to  those  whom  you  love ;  and  so  it  is  with 
our  Father  in  heaven.  But  our  divines  never 
preach  in  this  way. 

Let  us  now  take  the  similes  by  which  the  gospel 
of  Jesus  is  represented  in  the  Scriptures.  "  He 
shall  be  a  light  to  lighten  the  Gentiles,  and  the  sal- 
vation of  God  to  the  end  of  the  earth."  The  gospel 
is  compared  to  a  river  of  pure  water,  wherein 
he  that  thirsteth  may  drink.  It  is  compared  to 
bread,  of  which  a  man  may  eat  and  never  die.  How 
sensibly  these  similes  are  calculated  to  instruct  us  ! 
How  much  better  are  these  sentiments  calculated  to 
inspire  us  with  reverence  and  love  for  our  heavenly 
Father  !  0,  could  you  believe  this,  how  would  your 
hearts  be  delighted,  how  would  God  live  in  your 
affections  and  esteem  !  But,  when  he  is  represented 
to  be  a  tyrant,  preparing  everlasting  torments  for 
his  children,  you  cannot  love  him,  you  cannot 
adore  him  !  You  would  never  cease  to  say,  "  I  can- 
not love  the  God  who  made  me ;  for  he  has  decreed 
that  my  dear  children,  and  the  companion  of  my 


FEAST   OF   KNOWLEDGE. 


205 


bosom,  shall  welter  in  everlasting  misery  !  "  God 
forbid  that  any  poor  soul  should  believe  such  a  doc- 
trine ;  and  Grod  forbid  that  any  man  or  woman  liv- 
ing in  the  world  should  from  henceforth  subscribe 
to  such  a  creed  !  The  disciples  never  preached  such 
a  doctrine.  They  never  preached  a  doctrine  differ- 
ent from  their  Master.  They  went  into  the  congre- 
gations to  preach  the  love  of  God  to  the  world, 
—  "  For  where  sin  abounded  grace  did  much  more 
abound ;  that  as  sin  hath  reigned  unto  death,  even 
so  might  grace  reign  through  righteousness  unto 
eternal  life,  by  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord."  "  We  have 
an  advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the  right- 
eous ;  and  he  is  the  propitiation  for  our  sins,  and  not 
for  ours  only,  but  for  the  sins  of  the  whole  world." 
"  God  our  Saviour  will  have  all  men  to  be  saved, 
and  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  ;  for  there 
is  one  God,  and  one  Mediator  between  God  and  men, 
the  man  Jesus  Christ,  who  gave  himself  a  ransom 
for  ally  to  be  testified  in  due  time."  "  That  in  the 
dispensation  of  the  fulness  of  times,  he  might  gather 
together  in  one  all  things  in  Christ,  both  which  are 
in  heaven  and  which  are  on  earth,  even  in  him," 
18 


206  Feast  of  knowIiEdge. 

*'  For  as  in  Adam  all  die,  even  so  in  Christ  shall  all 
be  made  alive.'* 

So  I  might  go  on,  my  friendly  hearers,  and  recite 
the  language  of  divine  inspiration  ;  and  every  sen- 
tence, every  principle  of  the  gospel,  harmonizes  with 
this  doctrine  of  God's  love.  And  what  is  the  con- 
clusion of  this  doctrine  ?  It  is  this,  —  "  Since  God 
so  loved  us,  we  ought  also  to  love  one  another."  It 
is  declared,  in  one  of  the  passages  I  have  recited, 
that  God  will  have  all  men  to  be  saved.  How,  then, 
can  you  reconcile  this  with  the  doctrine  of  our  Ortlw> 
dox  divines,  that  God  from  all  eternity  elected  only 
a  feio  to  be  saved,  and  decreed  that  by  far  the 
greater  portion  of  the  human  family  should  be  sent 
to  endless  misery,  as  long  as  his  throne  should 
endure  ?  You  must  know  yourselves  that  this  is 
-dishonorable  to  God,  —  it  is  dishonorable  to  man. 

In  the  result,  it  is  the  very  design  of  the  gospel 
to  introduce  mankind  to  peace  and  happiness.  The 
coming  of  our  Saviour  was  not  to  appease  the  wrath 
of  Heaven  towards  man,  but  to  introduce  to  us 
"  love  to  God,  and  good  will  towards  man."  This 
is  the  doctrine  of  God ;  this  is  the  doctrine  of  our 
Saviour ;  and  I  charge  you  never  to  believe  any  doc 


FEAST   OF    KNOWLEDGE.  207 

trine  dishonorable  to  God.  Any  doctrine  wMcli  can 
be  reconciled  with  God's  universal  goodness  is  safe 
to  be  believed,  because  it  gives  peace  and  comfort  in 
believing ;  but  a  doctrine  which  cannot  be  reconciled 
with  the  goodness  of  God  give^5  no  peace  to  the 
believer,  and  therefore  cannot  be  true, 

May  God  grant,  then,  that  you,  my  friendly  and 
much-respected  hearers,  may  be  fed  with  knowledge 
and  understanding ;  and  that  you  may  use  them  to 
the  glory  of  God,  to  the  honor  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
to  the  peace  and  happiness  of  yourselves  ! 


4^rtr7^.  ^^/   C 


■\-.   ^ 


'        V-     X    'ir^. 


NOTES. 


Note  A.     See  page  79 

The  Mighty   God,    the  everlasting   Father,  arid  the 
Prince  of  Peace.  — Some  have  regretted  that  there  Lad 
not  been   a   critical    explanation   of    these   phrases,    as 
applied  to  the  Messiah,  or  Son  of  God  ;  but,  not  being 
contained  in   the  words  selected  as  the  subject  of  dis- 
course, it  could  hardly  have  been  expected,  especially  as 
the  sole  object  of  the  discourse  was  to  show  that  this  Son, 
in  whatever  light  he  may  be  considered,  was  given  for 
the  benefit  of  mankind  ;  and  it  must  be  obvious  to  all, 
that  in  every  gift  there  is  implied  the  giver,  the  thing 
given,  and  the  recipient ;  and  it  would  be  no  more  absurd 
to  say  that  the  gift  and  the  recipient  are  one,  than  it  is 
to  say  that  the  giver  and  the  gift  are  numerically  onk. 
It  is  not  because  we  discover  the  least  difficulty  in  these 
appellations  given  to  the  Messiah  that  we  express  a  doubt 
concerning  them,  but  because  they  are  all  wanting  in  the 
Vatican,  which  is  considered  the  most  authentic  copy  of 
the  Septuagint  ;  and  in  the  last  printed  edition  they  are 
left  out  of  the  text,  and  placed  only  m  the  margin.    Nev- 
ex-theless,   as   these   appellations   are   all    found   in   the 
Hebrew  text,  we  are  not  disposed  to  reject  them.     But 
they  are,  after  all,  by  no  means  indicative  of  the  nature 
of  the  being  to  whom  they  are  applied,  but  only  to  his 
18=^ 


210 


NOTES. 


character.  "  His  name  shall  be  called," '  &c. ,  —  not  that 
**\x\9,  nature  shall  be,"'  &c.  Calling  a  person  by  any 
name  whatever  adds  nothing  to  his  nature.  But  it  may 
be  said  the  nature  of  the  Messiah  was  such  as  to  render 
all  these  appellations  proper,  or  else  they  would  not  have 
been  given  to  him.  To  this  we  do  not  object.  Let  us 
now^  examine  the  names,  and  see  what  they  imply.  Let 
us  see  whether  they  necessarily  imply  a  different  nature 
from  that  of  INIoses  and  the  prophets. 

"  Wonderful.''"  What  is  there  in  this  that  will  not 
apply  to  Moses,  as  well  as  .Jesus  ?  It  will  not  be  pre- 
tended but  that  the  works  of  Moses  were  equally  wonder- 
ful with  those  of  Jesus  ;  for,  if  they  were  not  so,  how  will 
it  be  maintained  that  they  were  of  God  ? 

"  Counsellor.''''  If  Christ  be  our  counsellor,  was  not 
Moses  also  a  counsellor  to  Israel?  This  will  not  be 
denied. 

"  The  Mighty  God.""  The  word  here  rendered  God  is 
not  Aleim,  which  is  rendered  God  Gen.  1:1,  and  which 
is  applied  to  Moses  Ex.  7  :  1  ;  but  it  is  Al,  a  word 
of  very  extensive  meaning.  Mr.  Parkhurst,  in  his  Hebrew 
Lexicon,  says,  "  This  is  one  of  the  most  diflBcult  roots  in 
the  Hebrew  language,  and  various  methods  have  been 
taken  by  learned  men  to  account  for  its  several  applica 
tions.  After  the  most  attentive  consideration,  I  think  the 
notion  of  interposition,  intervention,  or  the  like,  bids  the 
fairest  for  the  ideal  meaning  of  it,  and  best  reconciles  its 
diiferent  uses."  Suppose,  then,  we  call  this  Son  given 
*'  The  mighty  Inter  poser,""  how  much  would  this  differ 
from  the  "  Mediator  between  God  and  men,  the  man 
Christ  Jesus  "  ,?  1  Tim.  2:5.  In  an  ancient  folio  Bible, 
in  five  volumes,  entitled,  *'£ibla  Sacra  Hebraice,  Chal' 
daice,  Grace,  et  Latine,""  the  Hebrew  of  this  phrase  is 


NOTES. 


211 


rendered  in  Latin  Dcus  fortis,  and  the  Greek  is  rendered 
in  Latin  JDeus  fortis,  potens.  The  first  of  these  phrases 
we  should  render  the  valiant  God ;  tlie  second,  a  God  pre- 
eminently valiant,  or,  the  valiant  God,  having  pre- 
eminence. If  we  examine,  also,  both  the  Hebrew  and  the 
Greek,  we  find  that  this  is  the  most  that  can  be  made  out 
of  either  ;  and  any  one  must  perceive  that  the  phrase  is 
more  applicable  to  one  whom  God  has  raised  up  and 
exalted  to  be  a  Prince  and  a  Saviour,  than  it  is  to  God 
himself ;  yea,  such  a  phrase,  while  it  highly  exalts  the 
dignity  of  man,  would,  if  applied  to  the  Supreme  God  of 
the  universe,  certainly  lessen  the  dignity  of  his  character. 

"  The  Everlasting  Father.''^  The  Hebrew  word  here 
rendered  everlasting  in  its  general  import  "denotes 
beyond,  farther ,  or  besides  somewhat  else.  As  a  particle 
of  time,  yet,  still,  moreover,  a  long  while,  until,  whilst, 
driving  the  time  that,  all  along,  perpetually.^^  It  is 
used  Isa.  47  :  7,  where  it  is  rendered  forever.  The 
words  under  consideration  are  rendered  by  the  LXX, 
pater  tou  mellontos  aionos,  and  in  the  Latin  of  the  Bibla 
Sacra,  referred  to  above,  pater  futuri  seculi,  the  father 
of  the  future  age ;  and,  admitting  the  passage  to  be  gen- 
uine, this  is  what  we  take  to  be  its  true  import. 

"  Tlie  Prince  of  Peace.' ^  These  words  certainly  can- 
not imply  anything  more  than  may  be  justly  applied  to 
man. 

Yates,  in  his  vindication  of  Unitarianism  against  the 
attack  of  Wardlaw,  takes  pai-ticular  notice  of  the  two 
passages  Isaiah  7  :  14  and  9  :  6.  His  remarks  are 
worthy  of  repeated  perusal. 

If  the  title  God  belonged  to  all  **  unto  whom  the  word 
of  God  came,"  John  10  :  34,  25,  these  two  passages 
would  present  no  obstacle  to  our  belief  in  the  Unitarian 


L__ 


212  NOTES. 

doctrine,  even  though  it  were  certain  that  in  each 
instance  the  original  text  is  uncorrupted,  the  English 
translation  cori-ect,  and  the  designations  "  Immanuel  " 
and  "  Mighty  God"  really  intended  to  be  descriptive  of 
the  nature  of  Christ.  These  titles  would  only  convey 
the  same  ideas  which  were  expressed  by  the  inhabitants 
of  Jerusalem,  when  they  exclaimed,  "  A  great  prophet 
is  risen  up  among  us,"  and  by  the  two  disciples  (Luke 
22  :  19)  who  described  Jesus  of  Xazareth  as  "  a  prophet 
MIGHTY  in  deed  and  word.^' 

In  order  to  perceive  the  true  meaning  of  Immanuel,  it 
is  necessary  to  consider  the  singular  manner  in  which 
proper  names  were  formed  and  applied  to  the  ancient 
Hebrews.  It  was  common  among  them  to  give  to  their 
children  names  which  were  in  reahty  short  sentences, 
expressive  of  some  divine  favor  conferred  at  the  time  of 
the  child's  birth.  Thus  Hagar  called  her  new-born  son 
IsHMAEL,  which  is,  being  interpreted,  God  hath  heard  ! 
an  exclamation  expressive  of  her  joy  that  God  had  heard 
her  affliction  (Gen.  16  :  11).  Agreeably  to  the  same 
idiom  most  other  Scripture  names  are  to  be  understood. 

In  the  third  verse  of  the  chapter  in  which  Immanuel 
occurs,  mention  is  made  of  one  of  the  sons  of  Isaiah  under 
the  name  of  Shear-jashub.  This  name  is  a  complete 
sentence.  Literally  translated,  it  is,  A  remnant  shall 
RETURN.  The  son  of  Isaiah  was  called  by  this  singular 
appellation  in  order  that  the  great  and  consolatory  fact  of 
the  return  of  a  remnant  of  the  Jewish  nation  from  cap- 
tivity, which  was  the  frequent  bm^then  of  his  prophecy, 
might,  by  the  appearance  of  his  son,  bearing  this  express- 
ive name,  be  often  recalled  to  his  mind,  and  to  the  minds 
of  his  countrymen.  Also,  in  the  next  chapter,  which  is  a 
continuation   of  the  same  prophecy,  and  relates  to  the 


NOTES. 


213 


same  events,  we  are  informed  that  Isaiah  had  another 
son,  concerning  whom  the  Lord  said  to  him  (ver.  3), 
Call  his  name  Mahee  shalal  hash  baz.  This  signifies. 
The  spoiLiNa  hasteneth,  the  preying  cometh  quickly. 
The  Divine  command  was  intended  and  understood  as 
an  intimation  that  soon  after  this  child's  birth  the  Jews 
would  be  victorious  over  their  enemies,  and  the  tune  of 
spoihng  their  vanquished  foes  would  arrive.  Accordingly, 
the  reason  for  giving  this  name  is  assigned  in  the  next 
verse  in  the  following  terms  :  "  For  before  the  child  shall 
have  knowledge  to  cry  My  father,  and  my  mother,  the 
riches  of  Damascus  and  the  spoil  of  Samaria  shall  be 
taken  away  before  the  King  of  Assyria." 

In  consequence  of  this  smgular  custom  of  giving  names 
to  children  descriptive  of  the  circumstances  of  their  birth, 
it  became  usual  with  the  prophets  to  denote  an  event, 
which  was  about  to  accompany  the  birth  of  a  child,  by 
Baying  that  the  child  would  have  a  name  descriptive  of 
that  event.  Among  the  Jews  this  remarkable  mode  of 
speaking  was  well  understood,  although  it  is  little  adapted 
to  the  habits  of  our  age  and  nation.  These  facts  must  be 
borne  in  mind  as  leading  to  the  exact  interpretation  of  the 
title  Immanuel,  which  signifies  Gor>  is  with  us.  It  was 
intended  to  signify  that,  at  the  time  of  the  child's  birth, 
God  would  be  with  his  people  by  extraordinary  mani- 
festations of  his  favor.  Hence  the  prophet,  in  the  next 
chapter,  foretelling  the  defeat  of  the  enemies  of  Judah, 
assigns  its  cause  by  repeating  the  affirmation,  God  is 
WITH  us,  or  Immanuel,  which  a  little  before  he  employs 
as  the  name  of  the  child  (ver.  9,  10).  "  Associate  your- 
selves, 0  ye  people,  and  ye  shall  be  broken  in  pieces;  and 
give  ear,  all  ye  of  far  countries  :  gird  yourselves,  and  ye 
shall  be  broken  in  pieces  ;  gird  yourselves,  and  ye  shall 


214  NOTES. 

be  broken  in  pieces.  Take  counsel  together,  and  it  sball 
come  to  naught  ;  speak  the  word,  and  it  shall  not  stand  : 
FOR  boiANUEL  !  God  is  with  rs  !  " 

It  is  generally  agreed  that,  in  its  primary  application ^ 
this  passage  related  to  the  biith  of  a  child  within  a  few 
years  from  the  publication  of  the  prophecy.  Bishop 
Lowth  remarks  that,  though  "  not  excluding  a  higher 
secondary  sense,  the  obvious,  and  literal  meaning  of  the 
prophecy  is  this  :  that  within  the  time  that  a  young 
woman,  now  a  virgin,  should  conceive  and  bring  forth  a 
child,  and  that  child  should  arrive  at  such  an  age  as  to 
distinguish  between  good  and  evil,  —  that  is,  within  a  few 
years  (compare  ch.  8  :  4), —  the  enemies  of  Judah  should 
be  destroyed."  As  a  sign  of  the  destruction  of  Judah, 
the  chUd  to  be  born  at  that  time  was  to  be  called  Imman- 
UEL  !  God  is  with  us  !  and  all  that  was  meant  by  the 
exclamation  God  is  with  us  !  was,  that  God  would  at 
that  time  appear  in  a  remarkable  manner  as  the  protect- 
or and  benefactor  of  his  people.  When  applied  according 
to  the  "  higher  secondary  sense  "  of  the  prophecy,  it  had 
the  same  meaning.  It  signified  that  when  the  Messiah 
arose  God  would  bestow  great  blessings  upon  mankind. 
In  this  sense  all  serious  Unitarians  entertain  the  most 
grateful  conviction  that  God  was,  and,  so  long  as  the 
gospel  of  his  Son  shall  continue  to  illuminate,  console  and 
reclaim  mankind,  that  He  is  with  us. 

Thus,  I  have  no  doubt,  the  passage  of  Isaiah  was 
understood  by  the  writer,  who  has  applied  it  to  the  birth 
of  Jesus  Christ.  At  the  same  time,  I  am  aware  that  this 
interpretation  is  by  no  means  obvious  to  those  who  have 
not  paid  much  attention  to  the  idioms  of  the  Scriptures, 
and  that  it  may  easily  be  held  up  to  ridicule  by  the 
inconsiderate. 


NOTES.  215 

Bishop  Lowtli  observes,  concerning  this  portion  of  the 
prophecies  of  Isaiah  (eh.  7—9  :  6),  that  there  are  in 
it  *'  many  great  difficulties."  The  verse  which  is  quoted 
to  prove  the  Divinity  of  Christ,  on  account  of  the  phrases 
*^  mighty  God,''  although  produced  by  the  ignorant 
with  the  most  triumphant  and  unreflecting  confidence, 
will  probably  be  allowed  by  all  competent  judges  to  be 
attended  with  as  great  difficulties  as  any  other  verse  in 
this  confessedly  obscure  portion  of  sacred  Scripture.  I 
am  sensible  that  it  would  be  highly  presumptuous  in  me 
to  attempt  to  decide  the  various  questions  relating  to  it, 
about  which  the  most  eminent  critics,  both  in  foreign 
countries  and  in  our  .own,  have  differed,  and  continue  to 
differ  ;  such  as,  whether  the  word  Al,  translated  God, 
to  which  there  is  nothing  corresponding  in  any  of  the 
ancient  Greek  versions,  be  a  gentxine  part  of  the  Hebrew 
text  ;  whether,  supposing  it  to  be  genuine,  it  ought  not 
to  be  translated  a  "  Ruler,"  since  this  is  a  very  common 
acceptation  of  the  term  ;  and  whether  the  titles  con- 
tained in  this  verse  were  not  intended  to  describe,  at 
least  according  to  their  primary  signification,  the  charac- 
ter of  Hezekiah,  or  some  other  distinguished  person,  born 
at  the  time  when  the  prophecy  was  uttered.  Without 
endeavoring  to  settle  questions  upon  which  those  men 
who  are  the  best  qualified  to  decide  speak  with  the  great- 
est diffidence,  I  shall  only  say  that  our  firm  belief  in  the 
sole  Supreme  Divinity  of  the  Father,  and  the  subordina- 
tion of  Jesus  Christ,  ought  not  to  be  shaken  by  the  evi- 
dence of  a  passage  which  is  allowed  to  be  attended  with 
many  difficulties,  and  in  which,  at  the  very  utmost,  the 
application  of  the  title  '^mighty  God  "  to  Jesus  of  Naz- 
areth would  only  prove  him  to  be  a  person  unto  whom 
the  word  of  God  came.  —  Boston  Edition,  185 — 189. 


216  NOTES. 

To  the  same  j)urport  are  the  remarks  of  Rev.  John 
Sherman,  in  his  work  entitled,  "  One  God  in  One  Person 
only,"  one  of  the  earliest  treatises  in  favor  of  the  strict 
unity  of  God  ever  published  in  America.     He  says, 

"  That  this  passage  really  respects  the  Lord  Jesus  we 
shall  not  here  undertake  to  dispute,  though  there  is  no 
certainty  in  our  minds  that  it  has  any  such  reference. 
Be  this  as  it  may,  the  passage  is  very  far  from  asserting 
the  supreme  and  independent  divinity  of  Christ.     For, 

"  1.  You  will  please  to  notice  that  he  is  declared  to  be 
a  child  born,  a  son  given.  This  is  the  description  of  his 
nature.     This  is  what  he  actually  is. 

*'  2.  The  passage  does  not  say  that  the  government  is 
now  upon  his  shoulder,  but  that  it  shall  be  ;  which  im- 
plies that  he  is  about  to  be  raised  to  an  authority  he  does 
not  now  possess, 

"  3.  You  will  observe  the  passage  does  not  say  that 
he  is  the  Mighty  God,  the  Everlasting  Father,  &c.,  but 
that  he  shall  be  thus  styled;  he  shall  have  these  titles 
when  the  government  shall  be  upon  his  shoulder. 

"4.  If  you  ask  how  he  who  is  a  child  born  and  a  son 
given  shall  rise  to  the  eminence  of  having  the  government 
upon  his  shoulder,  and  the  high  titles  mentioned,  the 
passage  explains  this  matter,  and  says.  The  zeal  of  the 
Lord  of  Hosts  will  perform  this,  —  that  is,  will  see  that 
these  things  be  conferred  upon  him. 

"  In  fulfilment  of  this  prediction,  if  it  really  respects 
Chi-ist,  the  Scriptures  inform  us  that  the  zeal  of  the  Lord 
of  Hosts  has  actually  performed  all  that  is  here  declared, 
— 'TTie  God  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  put  all  things 
under  his  feet,  and  given  him  to  be  head  over  all  things 
to  the  church.*     God  hath  made  that  same  Jesus  whom 

*  Eph.  1 :  22. 


NOTES. 


217 


ye  have  crucified  Lord.*  Him  hath  God  exalted  with 
his  oivn  right  hand  to  be  a  Prince^i  and  given  him  a 
name  above  every  name.^X  Pray,  is  the  supreme  and 
independent  deity  of  Clirist  to  be  inferred  from  tiie  state- 
ment made  in  fulfilment  of  this  prediction  ?  If  not,  as 
no  one  will  pretend,  then  why  make  this  inference  froni 
the  prediction  itself? 

"  It  is  strange  that  this  passage  should  be  adduced,  on 
every  occasion,  in  proof  of  the  deity  of  Christ,  seeing  it 
only  predicts  that  the  childy  the  sony  should  be  elevated, 
by  the  power  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  to  the  govei-nment  of 
his  people,  and  have  bestowed  upon  him  high  and  exalted 
titles.  "§ 


Note  B.     See  page  147. 

•'  The  belly  of  the  fish.''*—  If  Jonah  was  in  reality  swal- 
lowed by  a,  fishy  whether  by  a  whale  or  any  other  sea 
monster y  he  might  truly  consider  himself  in  the  bowels  of 

*  Acts  2:36.  t  Acts  5  :  31.  t  Phil.  2  :  9. 

§  It  may  not  be  improper  to  remark  here  that  the  passage 
is  capable  of  a  different  translation.  And  his  name  shall  be 
called,  a  Mighty  God,  the  Father  of  the  everlasting  age  ;  that 
is,  of  the  Christian  dispensation,  which  is  to  continue  to  the 
end  of  the  world.  The  noted  Lowth  translates  it  as  above, 
excepting  that  he  uses  the  article  the,  ir  stead  of  a,  before 
mighty  God.  Further,  it  ought  not  to  be  omitted,  that  the 
seventy  interpreters,  according  to  the  Vatican,  have  given  a 
very  different  account  of  this  passage.  They  make  no  men- 
tion of  these  titles,  but  render  it  thus  :  And  his  name  shall  be 
called  (megales  boules  angelos)  the  messenger  of  the  grand 
design.  This  translation  is  confirmed  by  the  versions  of 
Aquila,  Symmachus,  and  Theodotion. 

19 


218 


NOTES. 


hell ;  not,  however,  according  to  the  most  obvious  and 
literal  meaning  of  the  Hebrew  word  sheol,  but  according 
to  a  most  easy  and  natural  figure.  He  was  cast  out  into 
the  deep,  he  was  concealed  in  the  bowels  of  the  fish,  the 
floods  compassed  about  him,  and  all  the  billows  and  the 
Vaves  passed  over  him.  This  would  fully  justify  the  use 
and  application  of  the  word  sheol,  hell,  and  differing  but 
very  little  from  a  literal  sense.  The  learned  have  differed 
very  much  in  opinion  as  to  what  kind  of  fish  this  must 
have  been.  That  it  could  not  have  been  the  common 
whale  is  evident,  as  the  gullet  of  the  largest  of  that 
species  does  not  exceed  four  inches,  — yea,  it  is  stated  in 
the  Encyclopaedia  that  "their  throat  is  so  narrow  that 
an  animal  larger  than  a  herring  could  not  enter."  This, 
and  other  considerations  which  might  be  mentioned, 
have  led  some  to  doubt  whether  it  could  have  been  any 
live  animal ;  but  suppose  that  the  same  Hebrew  word, 
dag,  might  have  also  been  applied  to  something  else. 
*'  Dagh,  in  Persia,  signifies  a  mountain  "  (or  rock).  Pink- 
erton,  part  xxix.,  p.  493.  Some  have  thought  that  the 
word  might  have  been  applied  to  the  hull  or  wreck  of  some 
vessel  which  might  have  been  providentially  there  to 
receive  Jonah,  and  on  which  he  might  have  been  driven 
to  the  shore.  Others  have  supposed  (and  what,  perhaps, 
is  equally  probable)  that  Jonah  might  have  been  cast 
upon  a  floatmg  mass  of  sea-weed,  to  which  the  Hebrew 
word,  without  much  difficulty,  would  apply,  and  which 
are  often  very  large  and  extensive.  "  Sea-plants,  finding 
in  the  water  a  sufficient  quantity  of  saline  particles,  oils, 
and  all  such  spirits  as  are  requisite  for  their  vegetation, 
Stand  in  no  need  of  roots  in  the  earth  to  feed  them  with 
proper  juices."  Nat.  Delin.,  vol.  lu.,  p.  168.  See 
*' Facts  Authentic  in  Science  and  Religion,"  p.  497. 


NOTES. 


219 


The  Hebrew  word  dag,  when  used  as  a  verb,  signifies 
to  multiply  or  increase  exceedingly.  Hence,  as  a  noun, 
it  is  the  general  name  for  fish,  from  their  great  increase. 
As  a  noun,  da  gen,  which  comes  from  the  same  root,  sig- 
nifies '*  corn  of  all  sorts,  so  named  from  its  great  increase^ 
Gen.  27:  28."  See  Parkhurst's  Heb.  Lex.,  under  the 
word  dag.  It  would  not  have  been,  therefore,  a  vei-y 
far-fetched  figure,  to  call  one  of  those  floating  beds  of  sea- 
weed, which  are  driven  together  by  the  wind,  a  great 
fish.  The  text  itself  seems  rather  to  justify  such  an  idea. 
See  Jonah  2:  5.  "  The  it'ce./s  were  wrapped  above  my 
head."  This  idea  will  undoubtedly  appear  very  novel  to 
many,  and  we  do  not  feel  disposed  to  give  any  decided 
opinion  on  the  subject ;  we  only  ofier  these  ideas  as  con- 
taining a  more  rational  solution  of  a  difficulty  which  is  in 
itself  calculated  to  stagger  the  faith  of  some  honest  minds, 
who  may  thmk  that  a  miracle  of  such  an  extraordinary 
nature  requires  more  proof  than  the  testimony  of  any  one 
man  for  its  support,  — and  especially  tlie  man  who  was  the 
subject  of  it,  and  for  whose  preservation  it  was  wrought, 
—  before  it  can  be  rationally  believed.  "We  have  no  dispo- 
sition to  call  in  question  the  existence  of  miracles,  but 
firndy  believe  in  them  ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  to  under- 
take to  maintain  a  miracle,  where  it  cannot  be  maintained 
beyond  all  reasonable  doubt,  so  far  from  strengthening 
the  Christian  religion,  only  serves  to  weaken  it,  or,  in 
other  words,  to  give  the  enemy  the  advantage.  For  this 
reason,  therefore,  we  think  that  miracles  ought  never  to 
be  contended  for  whenever  the  material  facts  can  be 
accounted  for  in  any  other  way.  But,  whatever  be 
supposed  to  have  been  the  literal  facts,  one  thing  is  cer- 
tain, namely,  that  the  hell  which  Jonah  experienced,  and 
out  of  the  belly  or  bowels  of  which  he  prayed  unto  the 


220  NOTES. 

Lord,  Tvas  certainly  in  time,  and  during  the  period  of  Ms 
natural  life. 

The  history  of  Jonah,  though  by  some  carped  at  and 
turned  into  ridicule,  contains  nothing  inconsistent  with 
the  soundest  philosophy  and  experience  ;  for, 

1.  Though  a  whale,  properly  so  called,  has  so  small  a 
gullet  that  it  coidd  not  possibly  swallow  a  man,  yet  we 
ought  to  consider  that  the  word  ketos  does  not  necessarily 
mean  a  whale,  as  distinguished  from  other  large  fishes, 
but  only  a  gi-eat  sea-monster,  of  which  there  are  some  — 
the  shark  among  the  rest  —  very  capable  of  swallowing 
a  man  whole,  and  wliich  have  often  done  so.  A  very 
remarkable  fish  was  taken  on  our  own  coast,  though 
probably  it  was  not  of  the  full  size,  and  therefore  could 
not  contain  the  body  of  a  man.  But  others  of  its  species 
very  well  might,  A  print  and  curious  description  of  it, 
by  Mr.  James  Ferguson,  may  be  seen.  Philosophical 
Transactions,  vol.  Tin.,  p.  170,  from  which  even  this  small 
one  appears  to  have  been  near  five  feet  in  length,  and  of 
great  bulk,  and  to  have  been  merely,  as  it  were,  one  vast 
bag,  or  great  hollow  tube,  capable  of  containing  the  body 
of  any  animal  of  size  that  was  in  some  small  degree  in- 
ferior to  its  own.  And,  unquestionably,  such  a  kind  of 
fish,  and  of  still  larger  dimensions,  may,  consistently  even 
with  the  most  correct  ideas  of  any  natural  historian,  be 
supposed  to  have  occasionally  appeared  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean, as  well  as  on  our  coast,  where  such  an  one  was 
caught,  having  come  up  so  far  as  into  the  British  Chan- 
nel and  Kmg's  Road. 

2.  A  man  may  continue  in  the  water,  in  some  instances, 
without  being  drowned.  Derham  tells  us  (Phisico-The- 
ology,  6,  4,  cap.  7,  note  p.  158,  12mo.)  that  some  have 
the  foramen  ovale  of  the  heart  remaining  open  all  their 


NOTES. 


221 


lives,  though  in  most  it  is  closed  very  soon  after  birth  ; 
and  that  such  persons  as  have  the  forame^i  ovale  so  left 
Open  could  neither  be  hanged  nor  drowned;  because,  when 
the  lungs  cease  to  play,  the  blood  will  nevertheless  con- 
tinue to  circulate,  just  as  it  does  in  a  foetus  in  the  womb. 
Though  Mr.  Cheselden  doubted  of  this  fact,  yet  IMr.  Cow- 
per,  the  anatomist,  says  he  often  found  i\\e foramen  open 
in  adults,  and  gives  some  curious  instances.  Mr.  Der- 
ham  mentions  several  persons  who  were  many  hours  and 
days  under  water,  and  yet  recovered  ;  and  one  who  even 
retained  the  sense  of  hearing  in  that  state.  And  Dr. 
Piatt  (History  of  Straffordshire,  p.  292)  mentions  a  per- 
son who  survived  and  lived  after  having  been  hanged  at 
Oxford  for  the  space  of  twenty-four  hours  before  she  was 
cut  down.  The  foot  is  notorious,  and  her  pardon,  reciting 
this  circumstance,  is  extant  on  record.  See  Ray  on  the 
Creation,  p.  230,  who  observes  that  having  the  for ayn en 
ovale  of  the  heart  open  enables  some  animals  to  be  am- 
phibious. Where,  then,  is  the  absurdity  of  conceiving 
that  Jonah  might  have  been  a  person  of  this  kind,  having 
the  foramen  ovale  of  his  heart  continuing  open  from  his 
bii'th  to  the  end  of  his  days,  in  which  case  he  could  not 
be  drowned,  either  by  being  cast  into  the  sea  or  by  being 
swallowed  up  by  the  fish  ? 

3.  Neither  could  Jonah  be  injured  by  the  digesting  fluid 
in  the  fish's  stomach  ;  for  Mr.  Jo.  Hunter  observes  (Phi- 
losophical Transactions,  vol.  lxii.,  p.  449)  "That  no 
animal  substance  can  be  digested,  by  the  digesting  fluid 
usually  existing  in  animal  stomachs,  while  life  remains  in 
such  auimal  substances.  Animals,"  says  he,  "or  parts 
of  animals,  possessed  of  the  living  principle,  when  taken 
into  the  stomach,  are  not  in  the  least  afl"ected  by  the 
powers  of  that  viscus  so  long  as  the  animal  principle 
19# 


222 

NOTES. 

remains 

Hence  it 

is  that  we  find  animals  of 

various 

kinds  li 

ving  in 

the 

stomach,  or  even  hatched 

or  bred 

there. 

But  the  moment  that  any  of  these  lose  the  living 

principle  they  become  subject  to  the  digestive  powers  of 
the  stomach.  If  it  were  possible  for  a  man's  hand,  for 
example,  to  be  introduced .  into  the  stomach  of  a  living 
animal,  and  kept  there  for  some  considerable  time,  it 
would  be  found  that  the  dissolvent  powers  of  the  stomach 
could  have  no  effect  upon  it ;  but,  if  the  same  hand  were 
separated  from  the  body,  and  mtroduced  into  the  same 
stomach,  we  should  then  find  that  the  stomach  would 
immediately  act  upon  it.  Indeed,  if  this  were  not  the 
case,  we  should  find  that  the  stomach  itself  ought  to  have 
been  made  of  indigestible  materials  ;  for,  if  the  living  prin- 
ciple were  not  cnpable  of  preserving  animal  substances 
fi-om  undergoing  that  pi'ocess,  the  stomach  itself  would  be 
digested.  But  we  find,  on  the  contrary,  that  the  stomach, 
which  at  one  instant  —  that  is,  while  possessed  of  the  living 
principle  —  was  capable  of  resisting  the  digestive  powers 
which  it  contained,  the  next  moment  —  namely,  when  de- 
piuved  of  the  living  principle  —  is  itself  capable  of  being 
digested,  either  by  the  digestive  powers  of  other  stomachs, 
or  by  the  remains  of  that  power  which  it  had  of  digesting 
other  things."  Consistently  with  which  observations  of 
Mr.  Hunter,  we  find  that  smaller  fishes  have  been  taken 
alive  out  of  the  stomachs  of  fishes  of  prey,  and,  not  having 
been  killed  by  any  bite  or  otherwise,  have  survived  their 
being  devoured,  and  have  swam  away  well  recovered,  and 
very  little  affected  by  the  digesting  fluid.  Two  instances 
of  this  kind  are  mentioned  by  Dr.  Piatt  (History  of  Straf- 
fordshire,  p.  245),  and  others  might  be  added. 

There  appeal's,  therefore,  nothing  unphilosophical  or 
absurd  in  supposing  that  Jonah  (having  the  heart  open, 


NOTES. 


223 


or  such  a  coustruction  ()f  his  frame  as  those  persons  men- 
tioued  by  Derham  had)  might  be  cast  into  the  sea,  and  be 
swallowed  up  whole  hy  a  great  fish,  and  yet  be  neither 
drowned,  nor  bitten,  nor  corrupted,  nor  digested,  nor 
killed  ;  and  it  will  easily  follow,  from  the  dictates  of  com- 
mon sense,  that  in  that  case  the  fish  itself  must  either  die 
or  be  prompted  by  its  feelings  to  get  rid  of  its  load  ;  and 
this,  perhaps,  it  might  do  more  readily  near  the  sliore 
than  in  the  nudst  of  the  waters  ;  and  in  that  case  such 
person  would  certainly  recover  again,  by  degrees,  and 
escape.  I  acknowledge  there  must  have  been  a  miracu- 
lous divine  interposition,  in  causing  all  the  circumstances 
of  the  presence  of  the  fish,  of  the  formation  of  Jonah,  and 
of  the  nearness  of  the  sliore  at  the  time  of  his  being  thrown 
up,  to  concur  rightly  to  eifect  his  deliverance  ;  and  how 
much  further  the  miraculous  interposition  might  extend, 
we  cannot  nor  ought  not  to  presume  to  ascertain  ;  but 
solely  to  show  the  fact  to  be  philosophically  possible,  even 
according  to  the  experience  we  are  permitted  to  be 
acquainted  with,  is  sufficient  to  remove  and  fully  to 
answer  tlie  objections  of  scofters.  —  Erskine's  Sketches 
of  Church  History,  voL  ii.,  pp.  299—302. 


Note  C.     See  page  148. 

3^e  lowest  depths  of  hell.  —  A  critical  explanation  of 
the  original  Hebrew  word  here  rendered  hell  will  at  once 
remove  fi'om  the  human  mind  all  that  misapprehension 
which  has  heretofore  been  attached  to  it.  The  term  is 
often  used  figuratively,  as  it  is  in  the  passages  referred  to 
in  the  discourse  ;  and  whenever  it  Ls  so  used  it  always 
represents  a  state  of  fig;iirative  darkness,  —  that  is,  trouble 


l.__ 


224  NOTES. 

and  affliction,  let  tlie  cause  be  -wliat  it  may.  But,  when- 
ever it  is  used  in  this  sense,  it  is  always  applied  to  the 
miseries  of  the  present  state  of  existence.  The  original 
HebreAV  word  sheol,  as  used  in  the  Old  Testaments  when 
applied  to  the  dead,  never  represents  it  as  being  a  place 
of  torment,  but  as  being  an  unknown  place  of  silence, 
darkness  and  death.  But,  as  the  Greek  word  hades,  cor- 
responding to  the  Hebrew  sheol,  is  once  used  in  the  New 
Testament  as  a  place  of  torment,  —  namely,  in  the  parable 
of  the  rich  man  and  Lazarus,  —  it  will  be  necessary  to  say 
something  further  upon  the  subject. 

In  the  first  place,  we  shall  state  what  we  conceive  to  be 
the  literal  application,  or  rather  the  literal  facts  stated  in 
the  parable  ;  and  then  we  shall  state  what  we  conceive  to 
be  the  real  meaning,  as  intended  by  our  Saviour. 

It  will  be  necessary,  in  the  first  place,  to  give  a  more 
full  explanation  of  the  Greek  word  hades,  here  rendered 
hell,  than  we  have  yet  given  ;  because  hades  is  here 
represented  as  being  a  place  of  torment,  and  it  is  the  only 
passage  in  which  it  is  so  represented  in  the  Bible,  —  that 
is,  except  when  the  word  is  used  synonymous  with  death, 
and  the  pains  are  applied  to  the  living  ;  as  David  saith, 
"  The  sorrows  of  death  compassed  me,  and  pains  of  hell 
gat  hold  on  me."  Psalm  116:  3.  Though  it  maybe 
said  that  this  implies  that  there  are  pains  endured  in  hell, 
and  that  David  felt  these  pains  by  anticipation,  yet  the 
pains  of  which  he  spake  were  in  the  present  tense.  Let 
this,  however,  be  as  it  may,  whosoever  will  examine  this 
subject  as  he  ought  will  be  satisfied  that  the  souls  of  all, 
both  good  and  bad,  were  supposed  to  be  in  hades,  and 
that  this  is  the  first  and  only  intimation  in  the  Bible 
of  there  being  any  separation  there  between  the  righteous 
and  the  wicked  ;  for  the  Old  Testament  is  entirely  silent 


NOTES.  225 

on  the  subject.  We  cannot  express  our  ideas  better  on 
this  subject  than  to  give  them  in  the  -words  of  Dr.  Camp- 
bell, taken  from  Ms  Preliminary  Dissertations,  vol.  ii., 
part  II.,  page  273,  and  on. 

**  As  to  the  word  hades,  -which  occurs  in  eleven  places 
in  the  Ne-w  Testament,  and  is  rendered  hell  in  all  except 
one,  -where  it  is  translated  grave,  it  is  quite  common  in 
classical  authors,  and  fx'equently  used  by  the  LXX  in  the 
translations  of  the  Old  Testament.  In  my  judgment  it 
ought  never  in  the  Scripture  to  be  rendered  hell,  —  at  least, 
in  the  sense  wherein  that  -word  is  now  universally  vmder- 
stood  by  Christians.  In  the  Old  Testament  the  corre- 
sponding word  is  sheol,  which  signifies  the  state  of  the 
dead  in  general,  -without  regard  to  the  goodness  or  bad- 
ness of  the  persons,  their  happiness  or  misery.  In 
translating  that  word  the  LXX  have  almost  invariably 
used  hades.  The  state  [of  the  dead]  is  always  repre- 
sented under  those  figures  which  suggest  something  dread- 
ful, dark  and  silent,  about  which  the  most  prying  eye  and 
listening  ear  can  acquire  no  information.  The  term  hades 
is  well  adapted  to  express  this  idea.  To  this  the  word  hell, 
in  its  primitive  signification,  perfectly  corresponded  ;  for 
at  first  it  denoted  only  what  was  secret  or  concealed. 

"  First,  in  regard  to  the  situation  of  hades,  it  seems 
always  to  have  been  conceived,  by  both  Jews  and  Pagans, 
as  in  the  lower  parts  of  the  earth,  near  its  centre,  as 
•we  should  term  it,  or  its  foundation  (according  to 
the  notions  of  the  Hebrews,  who  knew  nothing  of  its 
spherical  figure),  and  answering  in  depth  to  the  visible 
heavens  in  height ;  both  which  are,  on  this  account, 
oflener  than  once  contrasted  in  sacred  writ. ' ' 

Dr.  Campbell,  after  reasoning  pretty  largely  on  this 
subject,  adds,  "  So  much  for  the  literal  sense  of  the  word 


22G  NOTES. 

hades,  which,  as  has  heen  obserTed,  implies  properly 
neither  hell  nor  the  grave,  but  the  place  or  state  of 
departed  souls.  I  know  it  has  been  said,  and  speciously 
supported,  that  in  the  Mosaical  economy  there  was  no 
express  revelation  of  the  existence  of  souls  after  death. 
Admitting  this  to  be  in  some  sense  true,  the  Israelites 
were  not  without  such  intimations  of  a  future  state  as 
types  and  figures  and  emblematical  predictions  could 
give  them  ;  yet  certain  it  is  that  life  and  immortality 
were  in  an  eminent  manner  brought  to  light  by  the  gos- 
pel. But,  from  whatever  source  they  derived  their 
opinions,  that  they  had  opinions  on  this  subject,  though 
dark  and  confused,  is  manifest,  as  from  many  other  cir- 
cumstances, so  particularly  from  the  practice  of  witch- 
craft and  necroDiancy,  which  prevailed  among  them,  and 
the  power  they  ascribed  to  sorcerers,  — justly  or  unjustly, 
it  matters  not,  —  of  wakmg  the  ghosts  of  the  deceased." 

These  opinions,  it  is  true,  in  the  first  place,  might  have 
been  all  bori'owed  from  the  pagan  philosophy,  and, 
through  the  lapse  of  time,  they  might  approximate  nigher 
and  nigher  to  that  hypothesis,  imtilthey  adopted  the  idea 
of  separate  apartments  for  the  righteous  and  the  wicked 
in  hades.  Agreeably  to  these  ideas,  one  part  of  the  scene 
of  the  rich  man  and  Lazarus  was  laid  in  hades,  and  no 
doubt  perfectly  congenial  to  the  popular  notions  of  the 
day.  For  "  the  opinions  neither  of  the  Hebrews  nor 
heathens  remained  invariably  the  same.  And  from  the 
time  of  the  captivity,  more  especially  from  the  time  of  the 
subjection  of  the  Jews,  fii-st  to  the  Macedonian  empire, 
and  afterwards  to  the  Romans,  as  they  had  a  closer 
intercourse  with  the  pagans,  they  insensibly  imbibed  many 
of  their  sentiments,  particularly  on  those  subjects  whereon 
their  law  was  silent,  and  wherein  by  consequence  they 


NOTES. 


227 


considered  themselves  at  a  greater  freedom.  On  this  sub- 
ject of  a  future  state  we  find  a  considerable  difference  in 
the  popular  opinions  of  the  Jews,  in  our  Saviour's  time, 
from  those  which  prevailed  in  the  days  of  the  ancient 
prophets.  As  both  Greeks  and  Romans  had  adopted  the 
notion  that  the  ghosts  of  the  departed  were  susceptible 
both  of  enjoyment  and  suffering,  they  were  led  to  sup- 
pose a  sort  of  retribution  in  that  state,  fur  their  merit  or 
demerit  in  the  present.  The  Jews  did  not,  indeed,  adopt 
the  pagan  fables  on  this  subject,  nor  did  they  express 
themselves  entirely  in  the  same  manner  ;  but  the  general 
train  of  thinking  in  both  came  pretty  much  to  coincide. 
The  Greek  hades  they  found  well  adapted  to  express  the 
Hebrew  sheol.  This  they  came  to  conceive  as  including 
different  sorts  of  habitations,  for  ghosts  of  different  char- 
acters. And  though  they  did  not  receive  the  terms  Elys- 
ium, or  Elysian  fields,  as  suitable  appellations  for  the 
regions  peopled  by  good  spu'its,  they  took,  instead  of 
them,  as  better  adapted  to  their  own  theology,  the  gar- 
den of  Eden,  or  Paradise,  a  name  originally  Persian, 
by  which  the  word  answering  to  garden,  especially 
when  applied  to  Eden,  had  commonly  been  rendered  by 
the  LXX.  To  denote  the  same  state  they  sometimes  used 
the  phrase  Abrahain's  bosom,  a  metaphor  borrowed  from 
the  manner  in  which  they  reclined  at  meals.  But,  on 
the  other  hand,  to  express  the  unhappy  situation  of  the 
wicked  in  that  intermediate  state,  they  do  not  seem  to 
have  declined  the  use  of  the  word  tartarus.'"  See  2  Pet. 
2  :  4,  where  the  word  rendered  hell  is  tartarus. 

These  things  being  premised,  it  is  very  obvious  that 
both  Abraham  and  Lazarus,  as  well  as  the  rich  man,  were 
all  represented  as  being  in  hades,  the  general  receptacle 
for  departed  spirits,  or  the  dead.     They  are  all  repre- 


228  NOTES. 

seuted  as  being  aliye  and  active,  susceptible  of  happiness 
or  misery  ;  lience  Abraham  and  Lazarus  are  represented 
as  being  happy,  and  the  rich  man  as  being  in  torment. 
They  are  far  distant  from  each  other,  and  a  gulf  between. 
All  this  accounts  for  their  being  in  sight  and  in  hearing, 
"which  can  hardly  be  reconciled  upon  any  other  hypoth- 
esis. In  the  original  all  the  verbs  which  signify  motion 
in  the  parable  are  such  as  always  denote  motion  on  the 
same  ground  or  level,  or  nearly  so.  Thus  Lazarus,  when 
dead,  is  said  to  be  carried  away  by  angels,  not  carried 
up  into  Abraham's  bosom  ;  and  so  with  the  vei-bs  wliich 
signify  passing  from  Abraham  to  the  rich  man,  or  from 
thence  to  him,  the  verbs  employed  are  such  as  always 
denote  motion  on  the  same  ground  or  level  ;  as  passing  a 
river  or  lake,  passing  through  the  Red  Sea,  or  passing 
from  Asia  into  Macedonia.  But,  when  heaven  is  spoken 
of  as  the  termination  to  which,  or  from  which,  the  pas- 
sage is  made,  the  word  is  invai-iably  different.  '*  Thus 
both  the  cii'cumstances  of  the  story  and  expressions 
employed  in  it  confii-m  the  explanation  I  have  given. 
For,  if  the  sacred  penmen  wrote  to  be  understood,  they 
must  have  employed  their  words  and  phrases  in  conform- 
ity to  the  current  usage  of  those  for  whom  they  wrote. ' ' 

Thus,  this  account,  if  taken  literally,  and  not  consid- 
ered as  a  parable,  would  prove  a  state  of  condemnation 
or  punishment  after  death,  though  it  would  not  prove  a 
punishment  after  the  resurrection.  But  then  the  truth 
of  the  whole  account,  as  a  literal  fact,  depends  on  the 
truth  of  an  intermediate  state  of  consciousness  between 
death  and  the  resurrection  ;  which  state  requires  direct 
proof  before  it  can  be  consistently  believed.  Considering 
the  account  as  a  parable  as  it  is  generally  considered  by 
most  commentators,  admitting  the  language  to  be  con- 


NOTES. 


229 


formable  to  their  views  of  things,  it  contains  all  the 
instruction  that  it  could  contain,  whether  the  literal  facts 
be  true  or  not.  On  this  point  Dr.  Campbell,  who  was 
an  advocate  for  the  doctrine  of  an  intermediate  state,  says, 
*'  I  am  not  ignorant  that  the  doctrine  of  an  intermediate 
state  between  death  and  the  resurrection  has  been  of 
late  strenuously  combated  by  some  learned  and  ingenious 
men  ;  amongst  whom  we  must  reckon  that  excellent  divine 
and  firm  friend  to  freedom  of  inquiry.  Dr.  Law,  Bishop 
of  Carlisle.  I  honor  his  disposition,  and  have  the 
greatest  respect  for  his  talents  ;  but,  at  the  same  time 
that  I  acknowledge  he  has  with  much  ability  supported 
the  side  he  has  espoused,  I  have  never  felt  mjself  on  this 
head  convinced,  though  sometimes  perplexed,  by  his 
reasoning." 

Having  shown  what  we  conceive  to  be  the  literal  facts 
represented  in  this  parable  (for  a  parable  we  shall  con- 
sider it,  until  the  literal  facts  can  be  proved  from  other 
scriptures  to  be  at  least  probably  correct),  we  shall  now 
briefly  state  what  we  conceive  to  be  its  figurative  ap- 
plication. 

1.  By  the  rich  man  the  high  priest  might  be  par- 
ticularly intended,  as  a  representation  of  the  Jews  in 
general. 

2.  By  the  beggar  the  Gentile  is  represented  as  ex- 
cluded from  the  privileges  which  God's  covenant  people 
enjoyed. 

3.  By  the  death  of  Lazarus  and  the  rich  man,  and  the 
circumstances  which  follow,  we  are  to  understand  the 
close  of  the  legal  dispensation  and  the  opening  of  the 
gospel  day  ;  when  the  Gentile,  through  faith  in  the 
Messiah,  died  to  all  his  idolatrous  religion,  and,  being 
absolved  from  the  same,  was  carried  by  angels^  messen- 

20 


530  NOTES. 

gers  of  the  covenant,  into  tlie  iRiith  of  the  gospel,  aa 
preached  to  Abrfiham,  figuratively  represented  by  Abra- 
ham's bosom;  and,  by  a  firm  reliance  on  the  promise 
made  to  Abraham,  is  comforted.  The  rich  man  died  a 
political  death  ;  and  the  judgments  of  God  denounced  in 
the  law  and  the  prophets  against  the  Jews  roll  on  upon 
him.  In  this  situation  he  sees  fulfilled  the  words  of 
Christ,  Luke  13  :  28,  29,  which  see.  He  sees  the  Gen- 
tiles flocking  to  the  light,  while  he  remains  in  the  dark- 
ness of  unbelief,  in  which  he  is  tormented.  The  great 
change  of  circumstances  preys  upon  his  mind  like  a 
burning  fire. 

4.  In  this  situation  the  dialogue  is  supposed  to  take 
place  between  this  representation  of  the  house  of  Israel 
and  Abraham.  Finding  no  relief  for  himself,  he  solicits 
for  his  five  brethren  in  his  father's  house  ;  by  which  we 
may  understand  that  part  of  the  house  of  Israel  which 
were  represented  by  five  virgins,  in  the  twenty-fifth  of 
Mitthew.  They  are  those  who  made  void  the  law  by 
adhering  to  the  traditions  of  those  who  taught  for  doc- 
trine the  commandments  of  men. 

The  gulf  is  the  bai'rier  between  the  two  dispensations, 
which  cannot  be  removed  until  the  present  dispensation 
is  closed  ;  when  out  of  Sion  shall  come  the  deliverer,  and 
turn  away  ungodliness  from  Jacob,  and  so  all  Israel  shall 
be  saved. 


Note  D.     See  page  148. 

And  it  h  set  on  fire  of  hell.  —  It  will  be  necessary  for 
the  reader  to  understand  here  that  the  word  rendered  hell 
in  the  New  Testament,  wherever  it  is  connected  with  fire, 
or  with  damnation,  is  in  the  original  gehenna,  which,  both 
in  its  literal  and  figurative  signification,  differs  materially 


NOTES. 


231 


from  that  of  hades.  It  is  frequently  used  by  St.  Matthew, 
as  also  by  St.  Mark.  It  is  used  once  by  St.  Luke.  But  it  is 
not  used  by  St.  John;  not  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles;  not 
in  any  of  the  Epistles,  or  in  any  other  part  of  the  New 
Testament,  save  this  once  by  St.  James,  who  used  it 
figuratively,  and  his  meaning  cannot  be  misunderstood. 

This  word,  as  every  person  of  common  biblical  science 
knows,  signified  the  valley  of  Hmnom,  near  Jerusalem. 
It  is  a  compound  of  two  Hebrew  words,  ge,  the  land  or 
the  valley,  and  Hlnnom^  the  name  of  the  owner.  It  was 
there  the  cruel  sacrifices  of  animals,  and  sometimes  chil- 
dren, were  made  to  Moloch,  the  Ammonitish  idol.  This 
place  is  sometimes  called  Tophety  as  some  think  from  Toph, 
a  word  which  signifies  a  drum,  because  drums  were  beat 
to  drown  the  cx-ies  of  the  sutiering  children;  or,  according 
to  others,  from  a  particular  fire-stove  in  the  place.  In 
the  reign  of  the  good  king  Josiah,  the  idolatrous  worship 
into  which  the  Jews  had  been  led  was  broken  up,  and 
Gehenna  was  defiled  and  made  the  receptacle  of  the  filth 
of  Jerusalem.  A  continual  fire  was  kept  burning,  to 
destroy  carcasses  thrown  in  ;  and,  in  a  word,  Gehenna 
became  as  abominable  under  the  reign  of  Josiah,  as  it  had 
been  sacred  during  the  idolatrous  worship  of  the  Jews. 
In  process  of  time,  as  all  writers  agree,  Gehenna  came  to 
be  a  place  of  punishment  where  criminals  were  caused  to 
suffer  death  by  burning  ;  and  in  this  sense  the  Saviour 
uses  the  word,  when  he  says,  "  But  whosoever  shall  say 
thou  fool  shall  be  in  danger  of  hell  fire,"  that  is,  the  fire 
of  Gehenna.*     With  such  abhorrence  and  dread,  under 

*  On  this  passage,  the  learned  Parkhurst,  a  strict  believer 
in  endless  misery,  observes,  "  Gehenna  of  fire  does,  I  appre- 
hend, in  its  outward  and  primary  sense,  relate  to  that  dreadful 
doom  of  being  burnt  alive  in  the  valley  of  llinnom." 


232  NOTES. 

all  these  circumstances,  did  the  Jews  regard  this  place, 
that  they  used  it  as  a  figure  of  dreadful  woes  and  judg- 
ments ;  and  so  we  find  it  used  both  in  the  Old  and  New 
Testament.  Thus,  in  Jer.  19,  the  destruction  of  Israel  is 
foretold  ;  and,  in  summing  up  what  he  had  said,  the 
prophet  adds,  ver.  12,  "  Thus  will  I  do  unto  this  place, 
saith  the  Lord,  and  to  the  inhabitants  thereof,  and  even 
make  this  city  as  Tophet.'^  Here  Gehenna  is  cei'tainly 
used  as  a  figm-e  to  represent  Jerusalem  under  its  tribula- 
tions. We  recommend  the  reader  to  peruse  the  whole  of 
Jer.  19.  See,  also,  7  :  31—34.  Jesus  used  the  word  in 
the  same  sense.  Of  this  we  think  there  cannot  be  the 
shadow  of  a  doubt.  He  said  to  the  Pharisees,  "  Ye  ser- 
pents, ye  generation  of  vipers,  how  can  ye  escape  the 
damnation  of  Gehenna  ?"  Matt.  23  :  33.  He  imme- 
diately adds,  "  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  all  these  things 
shall  come  upon  this  generation.'"  Ver.  36.  Whatever 
Jesus  here  meant  by  the  "  damnation  of  Gehenna^^  he 
certainly  confined  to  that  generation  ;  and  can  there  be  a 
question,  in  the  mind  of  any  judicious  person,  that  he 
referred  to  the  judgment  impending  over  Jerusalem  ?  He 
refers  to  these  judgments  again  in  Matt.  24  :  21.  "  For 
then  shall  be  great  tiibulation,  such  as  was  not  since  the 
beginning  of  the  world  to  this  time,  no,  nor  ever  shall 
be."  But  here  he  is  particular  to  say,  ♦'  This  generation 
shall  not  pass  till  all  these  things  be  fulfilled."  Ver.  34. 
From  these  quotations  from  the  Scriptures,  the  subject 
must,  we  think,  be  regarded  as  settled,  that  Gehenna  was 
used  by  the  prophets  and  by  Jesus  Christ  as  an  emblem 
of  the  calamities  which  befell  the  Jews  in  the  destruction 
of  the  city  and   overthrow  of  the  nation.*     Under  this 

*  On  the  word  Gehenna  are  staked  the  last  hopes  of  those 
who  defend  the  doctriae  of  piinishment  in  the  future  state. 


NOTES. 


233 


view  of  the  subject,  the  "hell  fire"  spoken  of  in  the 
parable  forms  a  perfect  contrast  to  the  "kingdom  of 
God;"  —  the  one  was  the  happy  portion  of  the  believer  in 

Their  zeal  in  contending  that  this  word  was  used  by  Christ  to 
favor  that  doctrine  is  certainly  proportioned  to  the  desperate- 
ness  of  their  cause.  But  can  there  possibly  be  any  dispute  that 
Jesus  meant  by  the  "damnation  of  Gehenna,"  in  Matt.  23  : 
33,  the  judgment  with  which  God  was  then  about  to  visit  the 
Jewsl  "  Verily  I  say  unto  you,"  said  he,  "  all  these  things  (this 
*' damnation  of  Gehenna"  being  the  most  important  he  had 
mentioned)  shall  come  upon  this  generation."  Ver.  36.  And 
to  what  did  Jesus  refer.  Matt.  5:  22,  by  the  "fire  of  Gehen- 
na," except  to  the  fire  of  the  valley  of  Hinnom,  in  the  literal 
sense  1  The  learned  Parkhurst,  an  eminent  Orthodox  critic, 
as  we  have  already  quoted,  takes  this  view  of  the  sub- 
ject. Lex.  sub  voc.  Gehen.  Adam  Clarke,  another  believer  in 
endless  misery,  took  the  same  view.  Com.  on  New  Test,  in 
loco.  We  cannot  perceive  why  the  "judgment"  and  the 
•'council,"  mentioned  in  the  passage,  may  not  be  applied  to 
the  future  state  with  as  much  propriety  as  the  "  Gehenna 
of  fire." 

Now,  in  reference  to  the  ten  other  passages  in  which  Ge- 
henna occurs,  they  should  be  explained  by  the  help  of  these. 
In  the  Old  Testament  the  valley  of  Hinnom  is  made  a  figure 
of  the  temporal  punishment  of  the  Jews.  This  is  unques- 
tionable. "When  Jesus  spoke  of  Gehenna  to  his  disciples, 
would  they  not  understand  him  as  using  it  in  the  same  sensel 
"When  he  threatened  the  unbelieving  Jews  with  the  "  damna- 
tion of  Gehenna,"  would  not  they  understand  him  to  use  the 
word  in  the  sense  in  which  their  own  prophets  had  used  it  1 
Jesus  never  intimated,  nor  is  there  a  single  intimation  thrown 
out  by  any  New  Testament  writer,  that  this  word  is  to  have 
a  widely  different  signification  in  the  New  Testament  from 
what  it  bore  in  the  Old.  To  us  it  seems  highly  probable  that 
when  Jesus  threatened,  the  Jews  with  the  "damnation  of 

20=^ 


234  NOTES. 

Jesus  ;  the  other  -was  the  sad  lot  of  those  who  were 
regardless  of  hia  teachings  and  admonitions. 

Gehenna,"  he  had  in  his  mind  the  declaration  of  Jeremiah 
that  God  would  make  Jerusalem  like  Topbet. 

To  this  it  may  be  replied,  that,  notwithstanding  Gehenna 
never  bears  the  sense  of  future  punishment  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, yet  in  the  time  of  Christ  it  did  have  that  signification, 
as  used  in  common  language  among  the  Jews,  and  by  their 
theological  writers  ;  and  therefore,  it  is  asked,  would  not  the 
Jews  have  so  understood  Christ  in  his  use  of  the  word  1  We 
answer  no,  even  if  this  had  been  the  case  ;  for  did  he  not  say, 
concerning  the  "  damnation  of  Gehenna,"  "  all  these  things 
shall  come  on  this  generation"  1  "Whatever,  therefore,  their 
views  of  Gehenna  were,  they  could  not  have  misunderstood 
him  in  his  view  of  it.  But  it  is  far  from  being  a  settled 
question,  that  the  Jews  in  the  time  of  Christ  did  under- 
stand by  Gehenna  a  place  of  punishment  in  the  invisible 
world.  That  the  Pharisees  believed  in  punishments  after 
death  we  do  not  deny  ;  but  Jesus  explicitly  admonished  his 
disciples  "  to  take  heed  and  beware  of  the  leaven  (that  is,  doc- 
trine)  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees."  Compare  Matt.  16  :  6 
with  12.  If  Jesus  regarded  the  doctrine  of  future  punishment, 
in  which  the  Pharisees  believed,  as  of  any  importance,  why 
did  he  not  make  an  exception  of  that  sentiment,  when  he  gave 
the  above  admonition  '\  But  that  the  Jews  in  the  time  of  Christ 
used  the  word  Gehenna  to  apply  to  future  punishment,  has 
never  been  proved.  That  word,  as  Mr.  Balfour  has  shown 
(Inquiry,  2d  edition,  pp.  239,  240),  does  not  occur  in  the 
Apocrypha.  The  Targums  have  not  been  sufficiently  exam- 
ined by  any  author  who  doubted  the  common  opinion.  "  Be- 
fore we  ought  to  be  satisfied  with  regard  to  their  bearing  on 
this  subject,"  says  a  careful  writer,  "  it  appears  to.  me  that 
the  following  points  should  be  clearly  ascertained  :  1. 
"Whether  the  oldest  of  them,  those  of  Jonathan,  Ben  Uzziel 


NOTES. 


235 


Note  E.     See  page  202. 

In  addition  to  the  doctrines  of  men,  mentioned  in 
the  sermon,  which  it  is  impossible  either  to  know  or 
understand,  we  would  mention  in  this  place  that  of  a 
trinihj  in  unity  with  respect  to  the  Deity  ;  or,  in  other 
words,  the  doctrine  of  the  trinity.  It  is  impossible  that 
such  a  doctrine  should  be  known  to  be  true,  since  there  is 
nothing  in  divine  revelation  to  support  it  ;  and  it  is  not 
even  pretended  by  any  one  that  such  a  doctrine  can  be 
understood.  Why,  then,  must  it  be  believed  ?  The  doc- 
trine cannot  be  expressed  in  Scripture  language.  The 
words  Trinity,  Ti-iune  God,  Three  Persons  in  One  God,  God 
the  Son,  God  the  Holy  Ghost,  Holy  and  Blessed  Trinity, 
Glorious  Trinity,  Blessed  and  Adorable  Triuity,  and  the 
like,  are  not  in  that  connection  ;  neither  is  the  word 
Trinity  in  the  Bible  ;  neither  is  the  doctrine  made  up  or 
supported  by  Bible  language.  Yea,  we  hazard  nothing  in 
asserting  that  it  is  impossible  for  any  man  to  express 
either  of  the  above  ideas  in  the  language  of  Scripture. 
And  yet  this  is  considered  the  most  essential  article  of  the 
Orthodox  creed  ! 


and  Onkelos,  do  in  fact  use  the  word  Gehenna  to  denote  a 
■place  of  future  torment  ;  for  all  the  others  are  of  too  late  a 
date  to  be  used  as  evidence.  2.  Whether  it  is  probable  that 
even  those  Targum's  are  as  old  as  our  Saviour's  time  ;  for  I 
understand  that  this  is  a  disputed  question  among  critics,  and 
that  the  celebrated  Bauer  and  Jahn  bring  them  down  to  the 
second  or  third  century." 

On  the  whole,  there  is  no  evidence  yet  ascertained  that  the 
Jews  ever  used  Gehenna  in  reference  to  future  punishment,  as 
early  as  the  time  of  Christ. 


LIST  OF  BOOKS 


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THE  LIST   COMPRISES  mSTORICAL,  THEOLOGICAL,  MISCELLA- 
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H  I  SXO  R I  C  AL 


THE 

TORNADO  OF  1851 

IN 

MEDFORD,  WEST  CAMBRIDGE  &  WALTHiM. 

MIDDLESEX  COUNTY,  MASS. 

BEING    A    REPORT    OF 

REV    CHARLES  BROOKS    AND  OTHERS. 

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We  have  given  in  this  work  a  general  idea  of  the  Tornado 
and  its  work  of  destruction,  and  many  particular  facts  have 
also  been  stated.  To  those  who  desire  such,  this  book  will  be 
particularly  valuable,  and  we  trust  not  altogether  uninterest- 
ing to  the  people  generally.  Such  a  wonderful  display  of 
God's  power,  was  never  before  seen  in  this  portion  of  the 
country  ;  so  great  a  destruction  of  buildings,  trees,  fences, 
and  fruit,  was  never  known  in  this  State ;  and  we  may  add 
with  gratitude  to  God,  that  such  a  miraculous  preservation  of 
life  and  limb,  amidst  this  scene  of  devastation,  was  never  be- 
fore known.    This  work  such  as  it  is,  we  give  to  public. 


THEOLOaiCAL 


THE    PLAII    GUIDE 


TO 


UNI  VERS  ALISM; 

DESIGNED  TO  LEAD  INQUIRERS  TO 
THE  BELIEF  OF  THAT  DOC- 
TRINE, AND  BELIEVERS 
TO  THE  PRACTICE 
OF    IT. 

BY    THOMAS    WHITTEMORE. 

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This  work  has  been  prepared  for  the  benefit  of  inquirers 
after  truth;  for  those  that  ask,  'Who  are  Universalists ? 
What  are  the  points  of  their  faith?  What  proofs  can  be 
found  in  the  Scriptures  of  their  distinguishing  sentiments  ? 

How  do  they  explain  the  passages  which  others  adduce  to 
disprove  Universalism  ?  How  do  they  meet  the  common 
objections  ?  It  is  proposed  in  this  work  to  answer  these  ques- 
tions, and  thus  to  lead  candid  inquirers  to  the  belief  of  the 
doctrine  maintained  by  Universalists. 


NOTES  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS 


OF    THE 


parabi.es 


OF    THE 


NEW   TESTAMENT 

ARRANGED  ACCORDING  TO   THE  TIME 
IN  WHICH  TIIEY   WERE  SPOKEN. 

BY  THOMAS  WHITTEMORE. 

1  vol.  12mo.,  pp.  381.     Price  75  cents. 


Tlie  Parables  are  arranged  in  reference  to  the  order  of 
time  in  wliicli  they  were  spoken  ;  a  distinct  exposition  is  <>-iven 
of  each,  illustrated  by  such  helps  as  the  best  commentators 
and  most  approved  eastern  travellers  have  thrown  in  our 
way.  As  many  of  the  Parables  have  been  used  to  support 
the  doctrine  of  endless  misery,  particular  care  was  taken  to 
show  wherein  orthodox  expositors  have  agreed  with  Univer- 
salists  in  their  interpretations  of  them.  A  full  index  is  added 
to  the  work. 


LIFE  OF  REV.  HOSEA  BALLOU ; 

WITH  ACCOUNTS  OF   HIS  WRITINGS,  AND   BIOGRAPH- 

•ICAL  SKETCHES   OF  HIS  SENIORS  AND  CON-  ' 

TEMPORARIES  IN  THE  UNIVERSAL- 

IST  MINISTRY. 

BY  THOMAS   WHITTEMORE. 

4  vols;  12mo.,  plain,  cloth,  $4;  full  gilt,  muslin,  $6. 


These  Four  Volumes  form  a  complete  Magazine  of  spir- 
itual wealth.  The  Universalist  who  possesses  and  reads  them, 
will  be  furnished  with  every  fact  and  argument  he  needs  to 
support  his  great  and  holy  faith. 

This  is  the  Life  of  a  great  and  good  man,  who  was  beloved 
by  all  Avho  knew  him.  The  life  of  such  a  man  is  a  model  for 
the  imitation  of  the  world. 

It  is  the  Life  of  a  deep  thinker,  a  sincere  Christian  the- 
ologian, a  profound  student  of  the  Word  of  God,  —  a  man 
who  did  much  to  bring  out  the  true  sense  thereof.  The  Life 
of  such  a  man,  with  faithful  accounts  of  his  writings,  (such  as 
we  have  in  Mr.  Whittemore's  work  is  exceedingly  instructive. 

The  work  opens  the  early  life  of  Mr.  Ballon,  with  the  lives 
of  his  ancestors ;  it  shows  him  as  a  young  man  ;  a  convert 
among  the  Baptists  :  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church ;  it 
shows  how  his  mind  struggled  with  the  doctrine  of  endless 
misery,  until  he  saw  by  the  light  of  Revelation  that  it  was 
not  true  ;  how  happily  he  became  in  the  belief  of  LTniversal- 
ism  ;  how  he  commenced  to  jDreach  in  his  19th  year;  how 
faithfully  he  labored  in  all  parts  of  New-England ;  the  im- 
pression he  made  upon  the  people;  how  he  was  settled  as  a 
pastor  first  in  Dana,  (then  a  part  of  Hardwick,  Mass.,)  then 
in  the  region  of  Barnard,  Vt. ;  then  at  Portsmouth,  N.  H. ; 
then  at  Salem,  Mass.,  and  then  in  Boston,  where  he  lived  as  a 
clergyman  for  thirty-five  years,  and  died  at  last  honored  and 
beloved,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two. 

It  gives  Sketches  of  the  Lives  of  Mr.  Ballou's  seniors  and 
early  contemporaries  in  the  Universalist  ministry. 

It  states  his  doctrines  very  clearly  and  the  arguments  by 
which  he  defended  them. 


MEMOIR  OF  REV.  WALTER  BALEOUR, 

AUTHOR  OF  LETTERS  TO  PROFESSOR  STUART, 

AND    VARIOUS   OTHER  PUBLICATIONS. 

By  THOMAS  WHITTEMORE, 

1  vol.  18mo.,  pp.  224.     Price  50  cents. 


The  predominant  moral  qualities  of  Mr.  Balfour  were  hon- 
esty, love  of  Scripture  truth,  a  fearless  spirit  of  inquiry,  and 
independence  to  assert  and  defend  what  he  believed.  His 
knowledge  of  the  Scriptures  was  extensive ;  and  the  works 
he  produced,  were  very  valuable,  and  have  exerted,  and  will 
continue  to  exert,  a  wide  influence  on  the  community.  Such 
men  as  "Walter  Balfour  continue  to  live  on  the  earth  after 
they  are  dead.      The  influence  of  his  life  will  be  long  felt. 

To  assist  in  giving  the  proper  influence  to  his  life  and  char- 
acter, the  foregoing  work  has  been  prepared. 


THE  DOCTRINE  OF 
ETERNAL  HELL  TORMENTS  OVERTHROWN, 

In  three  parts,  viz :  Part  1st,  of  the  torments  of  Hell,  the 
foundation  and  pillars  thereof,  searched,  discovered,  shaken, 
and  removed,  &c.  Part  2d,  an  article  from  the  harleian 
miscellany  on  Universalism.  Part  3d,  Dr.  Hartley's  de- 
fense of  Universalism. 

1  vol.  12mo.,  pp.  1G7.     Price  50  cents. 

It  cannot  be  considered  improper  to  introduce  the  following 
work,  on  the  Torments  of  Hell,  with  a  brief  account  of  its 
Author.  The  first  edition  appeared  in  London,  in  1658,  and 
no  secrecy  was  maintained  in  regard  to  its  origin.  It  was 
avowedly  the  production  of  one  Samuel  Richardson,  a  writer 
of  some  note,  if  we  may  judge  from  the  size  and  number  of 
the  works  he  wrote.  Very  little,  however,  is  known  of  him. 
The  following  work,  we  believe,  is  the  Fourth  Edition.  The 
original  edition  came  out,  as  we  have  said,  in  1G58 ;  the  sec- 
ond, in  IGGO.  The  third  was  published  many  years  after  with 
a  selection  of  scarce  and  valuable  pieces  that  were  entirely 
out  of  print,  with  a  view  to  their  preservation.  This  edition 
is  from  the  third.  It  should  be  remembered  that  it  is  about 
two  hundred  years  since  this  work  was  written. 


COMMENTARY 


ON 


THE  REVELATION 


OF 


ST.  JOHN   THE  DIVINE. 


BY   TK03VEAS   W^HITTEIVCORE. 


1  vol.  12mo.,  pp.  388.     Price  $1.00.  f 


This  is  tlie  most  popular,  and  at  the  same  time  profound 
and  correct  explanation  of  the  Apocalypse  which  has  yet  ap- 
peared in  tliis  country.  It  has  received  the  commendation  of 
all  classes  of  the  community  —  it  was  reviewed  at  length,  and 
with  much  favor  in  the  Universalist  Quarterly  (by  Dr.  Bal- 
lon) and  in  the  Christian  Examiner  (Unitarian).  In  this 
work  the  Bible  is  made  to  explain  the  Bible  —  the  Old  Tes- 
tament to  illustrate  the  New,  the  familiar  passage  to  illustrate 
the  dark  and  difficult. 


WITNESSES  TO  THE  TRUTH: 

CONTAINING 

PASSAGES  FROM  DISTINGUISHED  AUTHORS, 

DEVELOriNG  THE  GREAT  TRUTH  OF  UNIVERSAL   SALVATION  : 

WITH  AN  ArPENDIX,  EXHIBITING  THE  ENORMITY  OF 

THE  DOCTRINE  OF  ENDLESS  MISERY. 

BY  J.   W.  HANSON, 

1  vol.  16mo.  pp.  185,     Price  50  cents. 


The  reader  is  presented  with  segregations  from  many  au- 
thors—  some  of  them  of  the  very  highest  order  of  genius  — 
which  develop  the  grand  idea  of  a  final  and  universal  de- 
struction of  evil,  and  the  triumph  of  goodness  and  happiness. 

It  is  believed  that  those  whose  thoughts  have  not  been  par- 
ticularly turned  in  this  direction,  will  be  surprised  at  the 
number  and  wealth  of  the  quotations  herein  contained.  It  is 
dedicated  to  the  Household  of  Faith. 


MEMOIR  OF  REV.  JAMES  M.  COOK, 

BY  THEODORE  D.   COOK. 

1vol.  12mo.,  pp.430.     Price,  plain   cloth,  $1.00;  full  gilt, 
muslin,  $1.50. 


This  work  has  received  the  highest  praise  of  the  Press. 
It  is  the  biography  of  a  young,  talented,  and  earnest  minister 
of  the  Gospel. 

His  life  as  presented  in  this  book,  furnishes  a  worthy  ex- 
ample for  the  young  men  of  our  land  to  imitate.  It  should  be 
read  by  all. 


UNIVERSALIST   BELIEF; 

OR, 

THE    DOCTHINAL  VIEWS   OF    UNIVERSALISTS. 
BY  ASHER  MOORE. 

1   vol.   IGmo.,  pp.  216;  price  50  cents. 


The  first  edition  of  this  unpretending  little  volume  met  a 
more  ready  sale,  obtained  a  wider  circulation,  and  was  re- 
ceived with  more  general  favor  than  either  the  author  or  the 
publisher  expected. 

To  this  (the  second  edition)  has  been  added  a  chapter  enti- 
tled "  The  Great  Consummation,"  in  which,  we  trust,  will  be 
found  some  facts  and  arguments  which  to  the  general  reader 
may  prove  interesting  and  instructive,  and  seemed  necessary 
to  complete  the  plans  and  objects  of  the  work. 


EEASONS   FOR  OUR  HOPE: 

Comprising  upwards  of  a  thousand  scriptural  evidences, 
direct,  illustrative,  and  collateral,  of  the  doctrine  of  The  Fi- 
nal Salvation  of  all  the  Human  Family :  demonstrating  The 
Bible  to  be  a  Universalist  Book :  The  selections  being 
classified  under  a  series  of  fifty  distinct  proportions,  vari- 
sly  expressive  of  "  The  Common   Salvation." 

BY  J.  VICTOR  WILSON. 

1  vol.  18mo.,  pp.  313.     Price  75  cents. 


THE  UNIVERSiy:.IST'S  BOOK  OF  REFERENCE. 

Coiitaifiiiig  all  the  principal  facts  and  arguments,  and 
Scripture  texts,  pro  and  con  on  the  great  con- 
troversy  between  Limitarians  and 
Universallsts. 

BY   E.    £.   GUILD. 

1   vol.  12mo.,  pp.  381.     Price  $1.00. 

This  work  is  designed  to  be  what  its  title  imports ;  a  book 
of  Reference.  That  the  subjects  discussed  in  this  volume 
are  important,  no  one  will  dispute.  We  have  expressed  our 
opinions  freely,  frankly  and  boldly. 

These  opinions  are  the  result  of  years  of  careful,  patient, 
persevering,  and  untiring  investigation, 

We  have  long  seen  and  felt  the  necessity  of  a  work  like 
this,  and  for  years  have  been  collecting  together  material  for 
it,  and  now  present  it  to  the  public. 


THIRTY   SHORT   SERMONS 

ON  VARIOUS    IMPORTANT   SUBJECTS,   BOTH   DOCTRINAL    AND 
PRACTICAL. 

BY    J.    B.    DODS. 

1  vol.  16m0.,  pp.  384.     Price  75  cents. 


The  above  is  the  title  of  a  book  from  the  pen  of  a  clear 
and  strong  reasoner,  and  the  arguments  are  conclusive  in  favor 
of  a  world's  redemption. 


THE    DIVINE    EFFICIENCY  AND  MORAL 
HARMONY  OF  THE  UNIVERSE; 

PROVED     FROM    REASON    AND    SCRIPTURE, 

BY  A  PASTOR. 

1  vol.  16mo.,  pp.  15G.    Price  50  cents. 


This  work  shows  that  in  the  Efficiency  of  Gods  works 
there  is  a  moral  harmony  and  beauty  that  commends  the 
ways  of  God  to  the  careful  study  of  Man. 


THE  UNIVEESALIST  PULPIT; 

CONTAINING  SERMONS   BY   HOSEA    BALLOU,    E.    H.    CHAPIN,    THOMAS 
WHITTEMORE,   O.  H.  TILLOTSON,  T.  B.  THAYER,  JOHN  MUR- 
RAY, LEMUEL  WILLIS,  AND  A.  A.  MINER,  WITH 
A    FINE    LIKENESS    AND    BIOGRA- 
PHY    or     EACH. 

1  vol.  octavo,  pp.  33.6.     Price  $1.25. 


This  is  a  work  of  great  value  and  no  Universalist  should 
be  without  it.  The  likenesses  are  excellent,  the  sermons  able, 
and  the  subject  discussed  important. 


UNITED  STATES  COHVENTiOH  SERMONS, 

CONTAINING 

THE  TWELVE  SERMONS  PREACHED, 
IN  NEAV  YOPtK  IN  1852. 

AND  A 

LIKENESS  OF  EACH  OF  THE  AUTHORS, 

VIZ.,   T.   B.   ABEL,    O.   A.    SKINNER,  A.  A,   MINER,  W.   H.    RYDER, 
HOSEA  BALLOU  2d.,  E,   FISHER,   I.   D.   WILLIAMSON, 
A.    G,   LAURIE,   S.   P.  SKINNER,   G.   W.   MONT- 
GOMERY,  THOMAS   -VN'HITTEMORE,    AND 
MOSES  BALLOU.     . 

1  vol.  12mo.,  cloth,  plain,  $1,  cloth  gilt  extra,  $2. 


The  discourses  composing  this  volume,  we  regard  as  pro- 
ductions fully  entitled  to  the  name  of  Sermons.  They  are 
not  mere  essays.  The  difference  between  an  Essay  and  a 
Sermon  is  very  marked,  though  it  may  not  be  easy  to  define 
exactly  in  what  it  consists.  We  feel  therefore,  that  we  are 
doing  a  good  service  to  the  denomination,  in  publishing  this 
volume,  for  in  this  form,  the  Sermons  can  be  read  by  thou- 
sands who  were  not  able  to  hear  them.  In  presenting  a  like- 
ness of  each  preacher,  we  think  that  we  have  given  a  great 
attraction  to  the  volume.  The  engravings  are  well  executed, 
and  the  likenesses  are  pronounced  good  by  the  best  judges. 


THE  KEY  TO  TRUTH: 

CONSISTING  OF  EXPOSITORY  REMARKS  ON  TECHNICAL  PHRA- 
SES, AND  CONTROVERTED   PASSAGES  RELIED  UPON 
IN  SUPPORT  OF  ENDLESS  PUNISHMENT. 

BY  E.  H.  LAKE. 
1  vol.  12mo.,  pp.  311.     Price  75  cents. 


This  work  was  written  during  the  author's  residence  in  the 
South.  It  is  "  multum  in  parvoT  It  consists  of  five  parts. 
Part  first  embraces  a  Bible  view  of  controverted  phrases  and 
passages.  Part  second  consists  of  brief  essays  on  a  variety 
of  subjects.  Part  third  embraces  the  arguments  for  a  world's 
salvation.  ■  Part  fourth  presents  the  objections  to  endless 
punishment.  Part  fifth  consists  of  extracts  of  sermons,  to- 
gether with  selections  from  the  writings  of  eminent  authors  ! 
Let  this  work  be  read  and  circulated  extensively  among  the 
opponents  of  Universalism. 


THE  ORIGIN  AND  HISTORY  OF  THE  DOCTRINE 

OF  ENDLESS  PUNISHMENT. 

By  Thos.  B.  Thayer.    1  vol.  16mo.,  pp.  251.    75  cents. 


This  work  is  designed  to  furnish  an  outline  of  the  argu- 
ments by  which  it  is  shown  that  the  doctrine  of  Endless  Pun- 
ishment is  of  heathen  origin.  It  reviews  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments,  showing  that  is  not  found  there  ;  and  then  exam- 
ines the  theology  of  the  Pagans,  demonstrating  its  origin  in 
this,  and  the  reasons  of  its  invention,  as  confessed  by  the 
Pagans  themselves.  It  is  then  shown  in  what  way  the  doc- 
trine found  place  in  the  Jewish  religion  —  and  finally  how  it 
passed  from  the  Jews  on  one  side,  and  from  the  Heathen  on 
the  other,  into  the  Christian  church. 

The  author  has  collected  a  large  amount  of  facts  and  au- 
thorities bearing  on  the  subject,  and  the  book  is  full  of  valu- 
able and  interesting  information,  which  ought  to  be  familiar  to 
every  Christian  believer. 

The  present  edition  has  been  greatly  enlarged  and  improv- 
ed, by  the  addition  of  new  facts  and  testimonies.  Several 
new  sections  and  chapters  are  added,  and  others  wholly  re- 
written, making  much  of  the  volume  entirely  new.  Tlie  work 
has  been  remarkably  successful,  the  first  edition  of  2000  cop- 
ies having  been  exhausted  in  three  or  four  months  without  the 
help  of  a  single  advertisement. 


AN    EXAMINATION 


OF   THE 


DOeiBiNE  OF  FOTyRE  BETBIiyTIOH, 

In  connection  ivith  the  Moral  Nature  of  Man,  the 
Principle  of  Analogy,  and  the  Sacred  Scrip- 
tures.    By  Hosea  Ballon, 

1  vol.  12mo.  pp.  216.     Price  03  cts. 


The  object  of  the  writer  of  the  above  work  is  to  place  his 
views,  respecting  the  doctrine  of  a  future  state  of  retribution 
before  the  j^ublic,  and  to  preserve  his  arguments  on  that  sub- 
ject, that  when  the  time  shall  come,  as  he  believes  it  will, 
when  people  in  general  will  number  the  tenet  of  future  pun- 
ishment among  those  corruptions  of  Christianity,  which  will 
then  be  abandoned,  it  may  be  known  that  the  writer  disbe- 
lieved it  in  his  day,  and  also  that  the  arguments  with  which 
he  opposed  it  may  then  be  known. 


THE    CKOAVN    OF    LIFE, 

A  SERIES   OF   DISCOURSES, 

BY  I.  D.  WILLIAMSON,  D.  D. 

1  vol.  12mo.  pp.  407,  price,  plain,  cloth,  ^1  00,  gilt 
(extra)  $1  50. 


The  Author  of  this  work  says  :  —  It  has  been  my  aim  to 
present  a  hopeful  view  of  the  Divine  Government,  which  can 
see  signs  of  promise  in  every  cloud,  and  stars  of  hope  in  eve- 
ry night,  and  thus,  to  win  the  soul  to  happiness  and  vii-tue. 


ELEVEN  SERMONS  ON  IMPORTANT  DOCTRI- 
NAL SUBJECTS, 

WITH   CRITICAL   AND    EXPLANATORY   NOTES. 

BY   IIOSEA  BALLOU. 
1  vol.  12ma.,  pp.  235.     Price  63  cents. 


This  work  Ims  been  for  a  long  time  out  of  print,  and  many 
inquiries  have  been  made  for  it.  The  venerable  author  never 
produced  poor  sermons.  There  is  a  peculiar  originality  in 
all  he  wrote.  On  all  subjects  he  spoke  with  a  clearness  and 
force  of  argument  that  carried  conviction  to  the  minds  of  all 
unprejudiced  believers.  In  regard  to  the  character  of  the 
sermons,  we  have  a  word  to  say.  They  are  all  on  important 
doctrinal  subjects.  No  Universalist  can  read  them  without 
feeling  a  deep  and  lively  interest  in  the  matter  before  him. 


A  VOICE  TO  UNIVEESALISTS, 

BY    HOSEA    BALLOU. 

1  vol.  12mo.,  pp.  272.     Price,  plain  cloth,  7o  cents;  full 
gilt,  cloth,  (extra,)  $1.00. 


The  work,  here  laid  before  the  pul)lic,  consists  partly  of 
original  pieces  written  by  Mr.  Ballou  for  tliis  volume,  and 
])artly  of  articles  from  his  pen  which  have  appeared  in  dif- 
ferent periodicals. 

To  the  former  class  belong  A  General  Epistle  to  Univer- 
salist, Momentous  Questions,  Essay  on  Universalism,  Advice 
to  Young  Men  who  design  to  enter  the  Ministry,  The  Doctrine 
of  Universal  Salvation,  and  The  Utility  of  Evil. 

The  latter  class  is  made  up  of  such  selections,  from  his 
writings,  as  it  was  thouglit  desirable  to  preserve  in  a  more 
permanent  form  than  tliat  in  Avhich  they  first  appeared. 


A 

COLLECTION  OF  MISCELLANEOUS 

POEMS, 
BY    HOSEA    BALLOU. 

1  vol.  12mo.,  pp.  208.    Price,  plain  cloth,  75  cents;  full  gilt, 
cloth,   (extra)  $1.00. 


This  collection  of  poetry  from  the  pen  of  Rev.  Hosea  Bal- 
lon is  made  from  his  impromptu  contributions  to  various  pub- 
lications, and  particularly  from  the  Universalist  Magazine, 
while  the  author  was  editor  of  its  pages. 

When  Mr.  Ballon  wrote  verse  or  prose,  he  had  a  purpose 
in  view ;  not  merely  that  of  rhyme  and  musical  construction, 
but  the  end  of  doing  some  good  by  the  effort  he  made  at 
composition.  He  never  wrote  a  line  without  this  incentive  ; 
and  to  the  discriminating  these  poems  will  commend  them- 
selves, as  characteristic  of  their  author,  who  now  sleeps  in 
death ! 


THE  VISION  OF  FAITH, 

A  SERIES  OF  SERMONS  ON  THE  DECALOGUE,  AND  THE 

lord's  PRAYER. 

BY   I.  D.  WILLIAMSON,  D.  D. 

1  vol.  16mo.,  pp.  263.     Cloth,  plain,  50  cents  ;  mo- 
rocco, gilt,  75  cents. 


The  discourses  contained  in  this  volume,  were  originally 
prepared  in  the  ordinary  course  of  sermonizing,  and  deliver- 
ed to  the  congregation  of  which  the  author  is  Pastor.  The 
favor  with  which  they  were  received,  has  induced  the  writer 
to  publish  them  in  a  form  suitable  for  preservation.  They 
are  now  presented,  (with  some  alteration)  with  the  wish  that 
they  may  be  the  means  of  doing  good. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 
REV.  ABEL  C.   THOMAS. 

INCLUDING  RECOLLECTIONS  OF  PERSONS, 
INCIDENT    AND    PLACES. 

1  vol.  12mo.  (with  portrait  of  the  Author,)  pp.  308. 
Plain  cloth,  $1.00  ;  gilt,  (extra,)  $1.50. 


This  book  was  written  bj  repeated  solicitations  of  person- 
al friends,  whose  partiality  for  the  author  may  have  biassed 
their  judgment  in  regard  to  the  general  interest  of  the  publi- 
cation. Some  of  the  incidents  have  before  been  published,  a 
few  have  been  recalled  by  persons  acquainted  with  the  facts, 
others  have  been  revived  by  association,  but  chief  reliance 
has  been  placed  on  a  retentive  memory. 


THE   BOOK  OF  PROIMISES ; 

OR, 

THE  UNIVERSALIST'S   DAILY  POCKET  COMPANION, 

Being  a   Collection  of  Scri'pture  Promises,  ar- 
ranged under  their  proper  heads, 

BY  S.  B.  EMMONS. 

1  vol.  32mo.,  pp.  128.     Price  25  cents. 


To  a  class  of  believers  nothing  should  be  made  so  familiar 
as  those  truths  that  constitute  the  basis  of  their  peculiar  faith, 
By  a  perusal  of  these  pages,  it  will  be  perceived  that  an  ef- 
fort has  been  made  to  collect  and  arrange  the  divine  promises 
so  that  at  a  glance,  as  it  w^ere,  we  can  survey  the  whole 
ground  on  which  rests  all  our  expectations  of  immortal  good. 


MISCELLANEOUS 


THE  LILY  OF  THE  YALLEY, 

AN  ORIGINAL  ANNUAL  WITH   SIX    SPLENDID   MEZZOTINT    EN- 
GRAVINGS. 

1  vol.  12mo.     Elegantly  bound  in  morocco,  gilt,  $2.00 


OUR     COUNTRY; 
OR  THE  AMERICAN  PARLOR  KEEPSAKE. 

EDITED  BY  WM.  H.  RYDER. 
1  vol.  12mo.     Muslin,  plain,  $1.00  ;  extra  muslin,  full  gilt, 

81.50. 


We  have  no  apology  to  offer  for  presenting  the  above 
work  to  the  public.  If  it  does  not  prove  its  own  claim  to  the 
approbation  of  the  j^eople,  nothing  which  it  is  proper  for  us 
to  insert  here  will  render  it  any  more  acceptable.  This  is 
truly  an  "  American  Book  "  of  great  merit,  its  contributors 
being  some  of  the  most  talented  men  in  our  country. 


CYPRESS  LEAYES. 

BY 

LOUISE    J.    CUTTER. 
WITH    A    BIOGRAPHY. 

BY 

MARY    W.    JANYRIN. 

1  vol.  12mo.,  pp.  336.     Price,  plain  muslin,  81.00  ;  extra 
muslin,  gilt,  $1.50,  (with  portrait.) 


To  gratify  a  sacred,  dying  wish,  have  the  writings  now  of- 
fered to  the  public  in  their  present  form,  been  gathered.  "  If 
you  think  they  are  worthy,  let  them  be  published  after  I  am 
gone, "  said  a  young  and  lovely  being,  who  lay  resting  under 
the  ruthless  touch  of  that  Destroyer,  who  loves  to  mark 
Earth's  fairest  beings  for  his  own ;  and  thus,  with  its  merits 
and  its  faults  —  its  beauties  and  its  blemishes  —  goes  forth 
this  book. 


SABBATH  SCHOOL  EXHIBITION  PIECES. 

Introductory  Piece,  for  boys  or  girls,  per  doz.  25 

The  Spoiled  Girl,  for  four  girls,  per  doz.  25 

The  Rainbow,  for  seven  girls,  per  doz.  25 

The  Messiah,  for  twelve  girls,  per  doz.  25 

Joseph  and  his  Brethren,  for  thirteen  boys,  per  doz.  38 

Miracles  of  Christ,  per  doz.  38 

May  Day  Songs  and  Choruses,  for  three  girls,  per  doz.  38 
Faith,  Hope  and  Charity,  boys  and  girls,  an  indefinite 

number,  with  banners,  &c.,  per  doz.  75 

Alphabet  Class,  for  5  or  25  girls  or  boys,  or  both,  per  doz.  50 

Resurrection  of  Lazarus,  for  6  girls   and  2  boys,  per  doz.  38 

School  Scenes,  from  15  to  54  girls  and  boys,  per  doz.  50 
Moses  in  the  Bulrushes,  for  4  girls  and  attendants,  per 

doz.  75 

Altars  of  Nature,  for  9  girls  and  3  boys,  per  doz.  5C 
The  Saviour's   Invitation,  for  4  girls  and  2  boys,  and 

chorus,  per  doz.  50 
Two  Altars,  or  Heathen  and  Christian  Worship,  for  18 

girls  and  boys,  per  doz.  50 

Orders  and  Symbols,  for  3  boys  and  2  girls,  per  doz.  50 

May  Queen,  for  17  girls  and  2  girls,  per  doz.  50 

Feast  of  Tabernacles,  for  12  girls,  per  doz.  50 

Sabbath  School  Oratorio,  for  8  boys  and  5  boys,  per  doz.  75 

Crowning  of  Charity,  for  13  girls  and  boys,  per  doz.  75 
The  Beatitudes,  for  18  girls  and  12  boys,  per  doz.               1  00 
(pp.  11)  The  Silver  Bell,  for  4  girls,                                   1  25 
(  "       6)  The  Mother's  Gift,  for  2  girls  and  1  boy. 
(  "     22)  Youth  of  David,  for  2  girls  and  13  boys. 
(  "     13)  Tongue  Bridle,  for  5  girls  and  1  boy. 
(  "     20)  Festival  of  the  Cherries,  5  girls  and  5  boys. 

PAMPHLETS. 

Relley's  Union,  12 

"Winchester's  Dialogues,  25 

Jeremy  White  on  Universal  Restoration,  25 

Seigvolk's  Everlasting  Gospel,  13 

Pettipierre  on  Divine  Goodness,  12 

Universalism  Against  Partialism,  19 

Streeter's  Familiar  Conversations,  25 

Lake  &  Todd's  Discussion,  25 

Miner's  Sermon  on  the  Death  of  H.  Ballon,  20 

«             «           "           "       "    Mrs.  Ballou,  12 

John  Foster's  Letter,  with  Sawyer's  Preface,  50 


Mrs.  Soule's  Letter  on  the  Death  of  her  Husband,  €0 

Ballou's  Convension  Sermon,  1847,  12 

Truth  to  Make  You  Free,  by  J.  F.  Witherell,  17 

Twenty-fourth   and  Twenty-fifth  Chapter  of   Matthew, 

with  Notes  by  H.  Ballon,  2d.  6  1-4 

Opinions  and  Phraseology  of  the  Jews,  concerning  the 

Future  State,  by  H.  Ballou,  2d,  12  1-2 

Answer  to  Paine's  Age  of  Reason,  by  Elhanan  Winches- 
ter, 25 

The  Danvers  Discussion,  a  report  of  the  Discusion  at 
Danvers,  Mass.,  between  M.  P.  Braman  and  Thos. 
Whittemore.     Price  25 

A  Sermon  delivered  in  New  York  at  the  session  of  Gen- 
eral Convention  of  Universalists,  Sept.  1847,  by 
Hosea  Ballou.     Price  12 

A  Farewell  Discourse  preached  in  Taunton,  Mass.,  Nov. 

1851,  by  George  ^Y.  Quimby.     Price  12 

A  Discourse  delivered  in  School  street  Church,  Boston, 
at  the  funeral  of  the  Rev.  Hosea  Ballou,  senior  pas- 
tor, by  his  colleague,  A.  A.  Miner.     Price  20 

A  Discourse  delivered  in  School  street  Church,  Boston, 
the  Sunday  after  the  funeral  of  Mrs.  Ruth  Ballou, 
relict  of  the  late  Rev.  Hosea  Ballou.     Price  12 

Three   Discourses  upon    Capital   Punisment,  by  E.  H. 

Chapin.     Price  13 

One  Hundred  Arguments  in   favor  of  Universalism ;  a 

tract.     Price  6 

Two  Hundred  and  Thirteen  Questions  without  answers ; 

a  tract.     Price  6 

Power  of  Truth  or  UniversaUsm:  Good  in  Life  and  in 

Death  ;  a  tract.     Price  3 

PORTRAITS. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  Steel  Engravings  of  eminent 
Universalist  Ministers.  They  are  from  the  best  artists  in 
the  country,  and  are  considered  good,  viz  , 

Price. 
Hosea  Ballou,  full  length,  on  steel,  Lidia  impression,  $10.00 
Proofs  before  Letters,  5.00 

Prints,  3.00 

John  Moore,  lithograph,  1.00 

Thomas  Whittemore,  lithograph,  1.00 

John  Murray,  20 

Hosea  Ballou,  25 

Thomas  Wliittemore,  20 


Hosea  Ballon,  2tl,  20 

E.  H.  Chapin,  20 

A.  A.  Miner,  20 

O.  A.  Skinner,  20 

T.  B.  Thayer,  20 

S.  Streeter,  20 

W.  H,  Rjder,  20 

A.  C.  Thomas,  20 

A.  G,  Laurie,  20 

J.  D.  WilliamsoiT^  20 

G.  V.  Maxham,  20 

Moses  Ballou,  20 

E.  Fisher,  20 

W.  A.  Drew,  20 

L.  Willis,  20 

G.  W.  Montgomerr,.  20 

S.  P.  Skinner,  20 

J.M.  Cook,  20 

E.  M.  Pingree,.  20 

J  W.  Talbot^  20 


TEXT  books: 

BiMe  Exercises,  by  A.  A.  Miner,  per.  cloz.  2,50 

Paige's  Questions,  by  L.  R.  Paige,  per.  cloz.  2,50 

Hudson's  Questions,  by  Clias.  Hudso-n,  per.  doz.  2,50 

Bible  Class  AssistMit,.  by  T.  B.  Thayer,  per.  doz,  2,50 

Our  Saviour,  by  Julia,  per.  doz.  1,25 

Lessons  on  Prayer,  by  Julia,  per.  doz,  1,00 

Duties  of  a  Day,  by  Julia,  per.  doz.  75 

Things  to  love,  by  Julia,  per  doz.  75 

"What  I  must  try  to  be,  by  Julia,  per.  dos.  50 
First  Step  m  the  Sunday  School,  by  J.  M.  Usher,  per.  doz.  50 

Child's  Bible  Book,  by  T.  Whittemore,  pen  do2i.  50 

Things  to  Love,  (on  cards)  per  sett.  S8 

What  I  must  try  to  be,  (on  cai'ds)  per  sett*  25 

Teachers  Class  Papers,  per.  doz.  06 

SERVICE  AND  CLASS  BOOKS, 

Eastern  Harp,  by  John  Boyden,  per.  doz,  2,50 

S.  S.  Choir,  by  T.  Whittemore,  per.  doz.  2,50 

Conference  Hymns,  by  T.  Whittemore,  ^xjr.  doz^  2,50 

Teachers  Class  Book,  per.  doz.  75 


JUVENILES. 

Yoimg  folks  at  Home,  18mo.  50 

Lectures  to  Youth,  18nio.  50 

Not  Rich  but  Generous,  18mo.  38 

Small  Means  and  Great  Ends,  18mo.  38 

The  Rainbow,  18mo.  38 
Never  Give  Up,  18mOr                                                     •      38 

Autumn  Blossom,  18mo.  38 

The  Twig,  18mo.  38 

Angel  from  Paradise,  38 

The  Sunday  School  Present,  18mo.  13 

The  Little  Organ  Girl,  ISmo.  ^^ 

Flowers  for  all  Seasons,  18mo.  25 

The  Rose  Tree,  18mo.  25 

No,  and  other  Stories,  18mo.  20 

Boys  and  Girls  Gems,  18mo.  20 

The  Silver  Bell,  18mo.  17 

Uncle  Johns  Library  (12  vols.  )  each,  17 

Little  Hymns  and  Pictures,  paper  each,  08 

Stories  for  Little  Boys  and  Girls,  paper  each,  08 

Little  Presents,  paper  each,  08 


SABBATH  SCHOOL  PAPER,  "  THE  MYRTLE," 

A  paper  devoted  to  the  Sabbath  School  interests,  is  pub- 
lished once  in  two  weeks.  Terms — Single  copy,  50  cents 
per  annun ;  ten  or  more  copies  to  one  address  25  cents  per  an- 
num. And  for  every  ten  copies  taken,  one  will  be  given  as 
a  premium. 

Note. — Any  of  the  within  named  Publications  will  be  sent 
by  mail,  post-paid,  on  receipt  of  the  retail  price. 

SABBATH  SCHOOLS 

Furnished  with  all  the  Lesson  Books,  Class  Books,  and 
Papers,  Cards,  &c.,  published  in  the  denomination,  on  the 
same  terms  as  they  can  be  had  of  the  publishers. 

HYMN    BOOKS, 

Of  all  kinds  used  in  the  denomination  furnished  on  the  same 

terms  as  tliey  can  be  had  of  the  publishers. 

BIBLES  of  all  sizes,  and  styles  of  binding,  and  a 

GREAT  VARIETY  OF  BOOKS, 

In  rich  bindings,  suitable  for  presents. 
CASH  ORDERS  will  be  promptly  attended    to    if  the 
articles  ordered  are  to  be  found  in  the  city. 


^   ^    J 


Date  Due 


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